The firemen proceeded to prod and poke among the branches.
The location - Bengaluru's Freedom Park. The occasion - an angry protest by Karnataka farmers who had gathered from around the state, demanding Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's presence. They wanted reassurance that promises made in support of farmers would be kept. The protestors were shouting slogans and waving their green shawls.
Into this heated atmosphere, a fire engine arrived. No, not to douse the flames of anger, or cool down tempers. The red vehicle parked under a tree and three dedicated firemen emerged.
A tall rod with a hook on the end was produced - and the firemen proceeded to prod and poke among the branches. What were they doing? Had a farmer climbed a tree to make his point? Were they simply choosing a rather odd time to trim branches near an electricity line as a favour to the electricity board?
A crow had got caught in the high branches in some plastic and had been struggling to escape. The firemen diligently wielded the hook. And after some patient effort, the bird took off in flight to caw another day. And some of us spontaneously clapped and cheered. The farmers grinned.
And to the Bengaluru fire services - thank you for the humane gesture!