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The same old flutter
BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Pigeons take wings in the Walled City as `kabootarbaz' egg them on. Photo: Sandeep Saxena.
GONE ARE the days of kings in our country but the residue of their kingly tastes still abides. In gloomy and congested corners of Delhi. Or to be precise, in the snaky lanes of the Walled City which still has enough remnants of our long dead Nawabs and Sahibs to prove history that here, they not only dwelled but lived too.
A case that fits flawlessly to this portrayal is the age-old `royal hobby' of flying pigeons in the Old City. One look up the sky and you would know what one is talking about. Rows of pigeons in the air in tandem with the sound commands of their masters on terrace.
Called `Kabootarbaz', this breed of `shaukeen' are no way royals but only so in their love for the sport of flying pigeons simply the way they want. "And at times, giving enough competition to those of your neighbours too". Veterans on the job say, all you need for it is a pack of pigeons and the "art" of domesticating them till they begin to "follow your orders " which includes primarily what they can do best - flying.
"Mind you, flying means doing so in a flock. Also, they have to respond to the master's commands. We train them mostly to go round and round and also in waves," says middle-aged Mohammad, a follower of this game since childhood. A proud owner of 40 pigeons, he says those who take to training are not the grey birds but the white ones. "Apart from this, there is no way you can make out that one bird is better than the other. This game is not like choosing horses for race," says this Chandni Chowk resident.
Continuing since the days of royalty, the hobby has even today kept alive shops selling pigeons, `bajra' as feed for the birds, spiced up with regular gossip about who took hostage of whose pigeons and most interestingly, two city-wide annual pigeon-flying competitions.
"The summer competition is in June-July and the winter one is in October-November. Participants are now seen from areas like Lajpat Nagar and Patel Nagar," informs Qureshi, a third-generation pigeon seller near Jama Masjid. Pasted on the walls of many back lanes of Jama Masjid and Lal Kuan area are the rules of the game, which says not more than 11 pigeons in a flock can fly at the same time. "Since there is lack of space now, we go up to the competitors' terrace anywhere in the city and watch the pigeons fly. The winner is the one whose birds remain in the sky for the longest time," he tries to enlighten.
Tying the wings of untrained pigeons for a couple of weeks, they are accustomed to particular sounds and gradually brought into the flock. But apart from the sounds, what keeps them tied to their masters is the free flow of food. Petty traders like Mohammad and his friend Jamal spend about Rs 500 a month to buy bajra.
"Thankfully, a pigeon comes in the range of Rs.5 to 15," he smiles, only to provoke Qureshi to add, "I sell pigeons only on Sundays. It is not a profit-making business. We do it just because we have been doing it for generations". Though most times it is a fun game, there are instances when a pigeon from a flock attacks another. "Fortunately, we have a bird hospital here. But if we admit our birds there, we do not get them back because as a policy, it frees them after recovery. So, it becomes a bit of a trouble taking them everyday to the OPD," says Jamal. Doctors at the Jain Bird Hospital near Red Fort say such pigeons come with wound marks, excessive fatigue and digestive problems, etc. "But, at the end of it, these pigeons are no less than our kids. They do not have identification marks yet one look and we can say which one is mine and which is not," sums up Mohammad as others nod in concurrence. Birdie talk, indeed! All for that intoxication called royalty?
SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY
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