25/02/2026
《Indian House Crow 印度家鴉》
23.02.2026
Medium: Beetroot, coffee, turmeric, coriander leaves, Chinese ink, watercolor, acrylic paint
On paper: Indian handmade paper
媒材：紅菜頭、咖啡、薑黃、芫荽葉、中國墨汁、水彩、塑膠彩
紙本：印度手造紙
Indian House Crow
In Western and traditional Chinese culture, crows are often seen as symbols of bad omens. My mother used to say that if a crow perched by the window, it meant someone in that household might pass away. Because of that, I didn’t have a good impression of crows when I was young—I was even a little afraid of them. When I came to India, however, they were impossible to avoid. The streets are full of crows. If I treated every sighting as a bad omen, I would probably have to live in fear all day long.
In India, crows are understood quite differently. They are seen as symbols of the sacred and of wisdom, regarded as messengers of deities or ancestors. In certain rituals, people offer food to crows in remembrance of departed loved ones. My Indian brother-in-law feeds chapattis to the house crows on the rooftop every day. If a crow eats the food you offer, it is believed that you will receive blessings from the divine or from your ancestors.
House crows are highly adaptable. They eat everything from leftover rice and vegetables to dead rats, so they also help clean the streets. (Here, I’ve seen more dead rats than cockroaches—and now I no longer scream.)
I only began interacting more with house crows after moving to northeastern India. They are very intelligent and seem quite spiritual, even initiating communication with people. Once, I heard a crow calling outside my room. The cawing grew louder and louder, which felt unusual. I stepped onto the balcony, and when it saw me, it kept flying up and down as if trying to tell me something. Leaning over the railing, I saw that a cat had been killed by a dog at our doorstep. Thankfully, the crow alerted me in time so we could bury it quickly.
They can also recognize human faces and are quite mischievous. During the hot summer, we usually sleep on the balcony. There was a house crow that came every morning to wake me up for food. If I tried to stay in bed a little longer, it would raise its voice and keep calling until I got up to feed it.
A few times, I deliberately ignored it, and it began tugging at my clothes hanging on the balcony—or pretending it was about to p**p on the mosquito net (and it actually did once). It was both infuriating and hilarious.
A few days ago, while I was painting, I noticed a plump crow outside the window. It stayed quietly among the bamboo palm leaves for almost half an hour. It was rare to see such a calm side of it.
I never imagined that the “inauspicious bird” I once feared of
would one day become my lovely neighbor.
在西方或華人文化中，烏鴉都被視為與不祥預兆有關，我媽以前都有講過，如果窗口有鴉停留，代表那家人可能會有人離世，所以我從少對鴉沒有什麼好感，甚至有點畏懼。來到印度就是避無可避，一街都是鳥鴉，如果每次要視為見到不祥，恐怕終日就要活在恐懼之中。
印度對烏鴉的解讀有點不一樣，牠是神聖與智慧的象徵，被視為是神靈或祖先的使者。在某些祭祀儀式中，他們會為烏鴉奉獻食物，紀念已故的親人。印度先生的姐夫就是每天會上天台餵家鴉吃Chapatti 薄餅，如果烏鴉吃你供奉的食物，代表你將得到神靈或祖先的庇佑。
家鴉的適應力很強，從剩飯，剩菜到死老鼠都吃，所以牠們在清理街道方面都會出一分力（在這邊真是見死老鼠多過見蟑螂，現在我已經不會尖叫）
我是嫁來東北才和家鴉有較多的互動。牠們智商很高，也很有靈性，會主動跟人溝通。有一次我聽到房外有隻烏鴉叫，越叫越大聲，覺得有點不尋常，我出去陽台，牠見到我就飛上飛落，似是要告訴我什麼，攀欄俯視驚見家門口有貓被瘋狗咬死，還好有鴉及時通知可以盡快把牠埋掉。
牠們還會辨識人臉，很調皮，炎夏我們都會在陽台睡，試過有隻家鴉每天早上都來叫我吃床，想賴床一下，牠就會加強嗓音，叫到我肯起來給牠吃的才肯罷休。有次我故意視而不見，牠開始拉扯我掛在陽台的衣服，或是裝腔作勢要在蚊帳上拉屎（有真的拉過），真是又好氣又好笑。
前幾天畫畫時見到窗外有隻肥鴉，待在那片棕竹葉上很久，差不多半小時，很難得見到牠較為安靜的一面。
想不到昔日我所懼怕的“不祥之鳥”
今天竟成了我的可愛鄰居。
