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Birds' paradise turns ten and going strong

Sunny Sebastian

Photo: Gopal Sunger

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: Bird-watchers trying to get a glimpse of birds in an almost dry Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur.

JAIPUR: Birding Fair, the unique annual bird-watching experience at Man Sagar Lake on the outskirts of Jaipur, has turned ten. Inspired by the British Birdwatching Fair at Oakland in Rutland, the Jaipur Birding Fair is said to be the only one of its kind in the country.

This year's fair, held from January 23 to 24, was dedicated to Bustards, a species the Tourism and Wildlife Society of India (TWSI) had pioneered to save from the falconry practised by Arab Sheikhs in the grasslands of Rajasthan in the late 1970s. The attempt was to highlight the alarming status of all three resident species of Bustards— Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican and Bengal Florican— and the migratory Houbara.

The occasion coincided with the completion of 30 years of TWSI which has fought many a battle for environment, habitat saving and protection of species, including Siberian cranes, vultures, tiger and the wetlands in Rajasthan. Its campaigns led to a ban on the falconry, creation of closed areas and sanctuaries for Bustards in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and other States.

"The idea of organising an annual birding fair at Man Sagar was mooted for the purpose of highlighting the status of this particular wetland as well as other environment hotspots besides endangered species," said Samar Singh, a scion of the Dungarpur royal family and president of TWSI. "The fairs, from the first to the latest one, created a momentum for positive action," he noted.

"All is not well with Man Sagar. There is very little water to attract birds. The aquatic vegetation was uprooted while de-silting was carried out by the Jaipur Development Authority in the lake," says Harsh Vardhan, general secretary of TWSI, who pioneered the cause of Man Sagar Lake with the concept of the Birding Fair in 1997. Mr. Vardhan demanded an enquiry into the utilisation of Rs.25 crore provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forest to the JDA for conservation of the lake.

The fair coincided with a national workshop for journalists on environment and wildlife reporting, organised by TWSI with the support of the American Center, New Delhi.

Robin Diallo, First Secretary for Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, and Connie L. Johnson, Science Officer, joined the fair on the opening day, interacting with schoolchildren and sharing information with the naturalists who had come from Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur.

"Birding fairs are a great way to bring attention to not only the wonder and beauty of birds but to the threats that endanger them. Birding Fair or bird-watching is a unique activity that marries the talents of professional ornithologists and other life scientists with the energy and enthusiasm of amateurs," said Peter Kaestner, a renowned birdwatcher and Minister Counsellor for Counsellor Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, talking about his visit to Man Sagar in 2006.

Despite the absence of water in the Man Sagar Lake, which is undergoing conservation, schoolchildren and bird lovers turned up in large numbers— and there were birds too!

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