When was the last time you heard a sparrow chirping outside your window? A lot is being done to animals like lion, tiger and elephants but the tiny bird screams for attention.
Ironically, on World Sparrow day today, the absence of sparrows in the city, especially the new city area, is hard hitting. Increasing number of microwave towers, lack of food and nesting sites, hedges replaced by wired fence etc are proving deadly for the little bird.
Gunjan Buch, a CEPT graduate and an activist working for sparrow preservation, says, "Sparrows are still seen in the old city like Gulbai tekra and Vadaj slums. The bird prefers to stay there as it gets the desired food and proper nesting sites which are absent in the city area now. The lack of small insects is one reason. The insects are the basic food of the baby sparrows. The current architecture of the city has reduced the nesting sites. Sparrows make their nest in housing areas only but ventilations and windows are disappearing from the houses now. A sparrow would use the hedges to hide from enemies but now even the green hedges are being replaced by the wired fence," she said. To address this issue, Buch has been distributing sparrow nests among people.
Mukesh Bhati, managing trustee of Shree Cultural Foundation and member of Vanchetna Foundation says, "We put sparrow nests and water pots for the little bird. Artificial sparrow nests are made out of wood or paper and the water pots are made of clay." Bhati adds that a survey done in Punjab University states that microwaves released by mobile tower paralyse the sparrows.
Falgunsinh Jhala, an environmentalist, says, "Sparrows have adjusted with humans. In villages, sparrows still find the wall-hangings behind which they can build their nests. We have air conditions so we do not open windows. Not just this, even different perfumes and repellents harm the birds."
Then there are people like Abbasbhai Chhatriwala who last year celebrated the birthday of his religious head by distributing 52,000 sparrow nests across the city. The move received an overwhelming response.
"It was so good that we ran out of the sparrow nests. We take up any such environmental issue every year on his birthday as he is a nature-lover. This year we planted trees," says Chhatriwala.
Bhati, keen on saving sparrows, also plans to give an application regarding 'House Sparrow Breeding Centre' in the city to the mayor with an artificial sparrow nest. Guruprasad Mohapatra, commissioner of Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation, says, "We are planting trees not just for sparrows but for all the birds. I would welcome new ideas regarding the same."
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