The air is sweet from their dear chirps,
They land and flowers nod,
For their precious feathers humbly bear,
The fingermarks of the God…
– Amanda (Composer of the Poem)
As a child, I fondly remember waking up to the sweet chirping of the sparrows in our courtyards every morning. The little birdies were permanent visitors in our homes. In time, as I grew up, the joyous tweeting was eventually replaced by dead silence. The friendly birds were nowhere to be seen. Some believe its mobile radiation whereas others say that urbanisation and rapid shrinking of agricultural lands is responsible for their disappearance.
Whatever may be the reason behind their imminent extinction, it’s we, the humans who’re to be blamed. But, humanity is not completely dead. There are few generous beings among us, who fight tooth and nail for the survival of these birds. Like every year, on March 20—the ‘World Inspiration Day’, Jaipurites celebrated the existence of sparrows and took steps to make the city more ‘sparrow-friendly’.
This is how the Pink City celebrated the ‘World Sparrow Day’.
- A Few Residents Observed ‘Mukhyamantri Pakshi Awaas Yojana’
The city had seen biggies like Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban and Pradhanmantri Jan Awaas Yojana. Based on these ambitious schemes, the public came forth with an innovative ‘Mukhyamantri Pakshi Awaas Yojana’, wherein they built up small bird houses in their homes to welcome our two-legged friends.
- Jaipur-Based Organisations Organised Bird Exhibitions
Indian Birding Fair organised a 2-day exhibition on “House Sparrow Conservation: An International Appeal”, in collaboration with local nature clubs.
- The Locales Celebrated a Picnic-cum-Awareness Fair at Central Park
Many local families organised an early morning event at Central Park to generate awareness for sparrows. They set up stalls to attract people for discussion.
- Experts Educated the Kids about Sparrow Habits
Experts invited kids for an interactive discussion on bird habits at central park and various other places. Bird lovers sold handmade sparrow boxes to encourage people to invite sparrows in their homes.
- In 2014, some local students distributed Books on ‘Sparrows’.
A few student groups from Maharani Gayatri Devi School circulated pamphlets and books on sparrow conservation.
The chief reason behind observing ‘World Sparrow Day’ is to make others realise the importance of sparrows in ecosystem. Sparrows no longer nest on trees, but have long evolved to live with us. By making little changes to our lifestyle, we can spread the ‘sparrow fever’ to the entire country.
