Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Nay to firecrackers, all for those birds

R. Sundaram

Residents of five villages in Erode spare a thought

ERODE : Here's little story on how far considerate hearts go to safeguard a whole lot of avian friends. Well, Deepavali always meant firecrackers. Or so it seemed, till we chanced upon these five villages. New dresses and sweets there are, but firecrackers have been a strict no-no here. And for the last six years!

Welcome to Vadamugam Vellode, V. Mettupalayam, Chellappampalayam, Semmandampalayam and Thatchankaraivazhi in Erode taluk.

The Vellode Bird Sanctuary at Vadamugam Vellode, between Erode and Vellode, is a haven for hundreds of birds. The birds come to the sanctuary around October-November, lay eggs and leave after a month. With the other four villagers too falling under the sanctuary's ambit, the villagers decided to keep firecrackers off bounds - to not scare the birds and worse, pollute their habitat.

And yes, the villagers wore new dresses, visited temples and went about distributing sweets. All the while, those birds fluttered about, blissfully ignorant of the sacrifice the villagers made. A sacrifice that perhaps calls for emulation elsewhere!

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