Only 5 and already a bird lover by instinct

At five, Hitesh Yadav probably does not know what an environmentalist or conservationist is, though he can be termed one himself. He was recently given the ‘Sparrow Friend Award 2011’ by Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan. But such is his love for birds that he kept thinking about the kites he saw in the lawns of the Raj Bhavan even as the honour was bestowed upon him.

“He has been in love with birds since he was three years old. Nobody guided him in this regard. He simply loves birds by instinct and wants to take care of them. He has asked his father to install a sparrow shelter at home. What drives his passion at such a young age is beyond us,” says Chandramani Yadav, Hitesh’s uncle.

This senior KG student of NES Sunbeam School, Bhandup, boasts of a further impressive CV — the ‘Robinage Bright Sparks Scholarship’ in 2009 and the ‘Outstanding Student award for being an Animal activist’ in 2010. Now in 2011, he has bagged the ‘Sparrow Friend Award’ given by the Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Mumbai.

He likes birds and animals so much that the TV at his home plays Discovery Channel all day. “I like birds. And I love to be with them,” he says.

The only telephone number he knows is that of Sunish Subramaniam of PAWS. “Whenever he finds a bird lying on the road or injured, he calls Sunish,” says his uncle.

“We encourage young citizens to enlist for the cause of nature conservation. Several bird lovers are associated with us, but Hitesh is extraordinary. Rescuing birds is not something kids his age prefer doing. He used to be with us since the age of three. Perhaps he wants to do the things we do,” says Subramaniam of PAWS.