Shakespeare said,” All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” He said it for humans; I am saying it for animals. Sort of plagiarism, but I am giving due credit. I believe there is a giant show happening in nature, all the time. Animals are constantly acting. They can’t speak, so they communicate life philosophies with their body language.

Two squirrels perched on a boundary wall of a house, their tiny snouts touching. Eyes still. Scientists might call it social bonding. It could be an emergency board meeting.

“Did you hide the seed?”

“Which seed?”

“The big brown one.”

A moment of silence follows.

Both squirrels realise neither remembers where it was buried.

Koi Na!(No issues!) We will find new seeds. The meeting is adjourned.

A crow perched on a wire, head bent down, staring between its own feet. Perhaps it just dropped a snack, and a squirrel took it away. The crow is desperately hoping nobody noticed. Being among the smartest birds around, the crow clearly has no intention of letting his reputation take a hit.

A squirrel lying alone, slightly puffed up, doing nothing. Feeling guilty, should I have left the food dropped by the crow? He is looking sad. There is plenty of food for me in the garden. The regret is visible in her eyes.

A buffalo standing in a muddy pond with only its head visible.

No rush, no stress, no deadlines, no emails, no social media notifications.

Just cool water. The buffalo has her life sorted.

A monkey lying on a tree as if he had retired from a government job a day before. Feet rested, eyes closed. Mental status somewhere between wisdom and complete indifference. Resembles a spiritual guru contemplating the mysteries of existence.

He might actually be thinking, “I used to jump across ten trees without touching the ground. Now my knees make sounds when I stand up.”

It is Tuesday, in Tuglaqabad, Delhi, and a baby monkey spots some people with bags of peanuts. This is life, he says to himself. I am bored of eating bananas every Tuesday and Saturday. I desperately needed something nutty and high in protein.

The next time you see a squirrel touching noses with a friend, a monkey lounging like an exhausted philosopher, or a crow inspecting the ground between its feet, don’t assume they are simply being animals. They may be questioning their life choices or searching for snacks they misplaced five minutes ago.

Text and pictures by Prerna Jain.