The other day my kitten brought a lady bug clutched in its mouth as a present for me; Wings flapping, the lady bug was struggling to come out of Tank’s mouth. A light tap on the kitten’s nose made him drop the bug, which tried to crawl but couldn’t. I placed it carefully in my hand and released it in the garden. This was a conversation between those who cannot speak our language but understand and can make us comprehend everything.

As soon as I placed the lady bug on a leaf it flew to the lemon plant and sat there facing me. As a fan of Disney Cartoons I wished it could speak to me like the bugs in A Bug’s Life. I noticed that the garden needed weeding and trimming, and I recalled my grandfather saying only a person with green fingers can converse with plants.

Once you start practising the interaction regularly you can see how animals and plants respond to your time and attention.

Like a cat, humans are inquisitive by nature and are always willing to experiment, despite the dangers involved.

Since early man needed animals in their daily life for guarding, food, transportation and all other activities they developed human-animal interactive communication side by side with interpersonal communication skills.

Over the years, the human race has nurtured and adapted to nature and the environment, which is a conversation in its own right. If the way we interact with nature is destructive or indifferent, nature has its own way of retaliating, and often what it says in return is way more powerful and savage than anything humans can envisage.

Conversations are an important medium to connect with others, irrespective of age or gender. When a baby is still in the womb, the parents and people around it try to connect with it. People who are differently abled use sign language to communicate, in order to remain an important part of the social fabric. And then there are people who have a conversation with themselves by performing yoga or engaging in different activities.

Also read: Editorial

A conversation is not only about humans interacting with each other but also with others that govern our planet and life. Connecting with things in our surroundings keeps us grounded, balanced, calm and healthy. These invisible conversations have a lasting impact.