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A unique congregation for sake of birds

brought over 1,500 people together for South India's first ever Bird Fair recently, writes SOMA BASU

"How high can birds fly? How do they keep going? How do they find their way? How do they decide their migration patterns?" - the curiosity displayed by a room full of school and college students kick started this unusual event on a high note.

As the world's first and largest international congregation of birders, bird-fanciers and bird lovers - the British Bird Fair - gets underway for the 14th consecutive year in London later this year, something similar has been happening back home, for the first time ever in South India. The Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul was the venue for this unique event last month. The Palani Hills Bird Watchers Society invited people to initiate them into "bird watching, forming bird watching clubs and protecting wild life." Even more surprising was the unexpected participation of 1,500 visitors to the bird fair, mostly represented by 60 schools and college students from the Southern region, local villagers, amateur bird lovers, wild life photographers and writers, and ornithologists from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Maiden attempt

"We planned it small but our maiden attempt was a grand success. It was a fantastic opportunity for a cross-section of people and provided a platform to the specialists for expressing and exchanging views," beams Dr. Ambudoss Aravind, a Rural Development Science Lecturer from Arul Anandar College in Usilampatti, and an avid watcher of birds in agriculture, who delivered lectures at the fair.

The fair was the brainchild of Joe Homan, an Englishman doing charity work in education sector for past four decades in Tamil Nadu. Bird watching is his hobby, though not a `very serious one,' he admits.

But his concern for nature and wildlife conservation drove him to organizing this event. "An accidental invitation to the Italian bird fair two years ago set me thinking on the tremendous potential for environment protection and tourism," he says.

UNIQUE FAIR MEETING of birders, bird-fanciers and bird lovers

A regular at the British Bird Fair too, he decided to model his debut venture after the world's oldest nature fair. "We packaged a programme of events for three days, including scientific and popular lectures, photo exhibitions, guided bird watching tours to nearby Palani Hills, Kamarajar dam, Sirumalai Hills and Gandhigram campus. Besides, two dozen stalls were set up by publishing houses displaying a variety of books on birds, by people selling bird equipment, bird feed, binoculars, nest boxes and those by the avian experts who imparted knowledge on rare, common and extinct species of birds, the value of birds to mankind, how to be bird-friendly and start nature clubs, informs Mr.Homan.

What makes him doubly happy is the fact that at the first British Bird Fair in 1992, there were `exactly 14 participants' and today it is a major national event where more than 50,000 people turn up. And, the Italian fair started five years ago with the participation of two stalls, today has 120.

"This gives us hope. Despite the bird watcher's fraternity being quite small in South India, we have started on a very encouraging note and there is much scope to expand in future," he brims with optimism, certain of turning the affair into an annual event.

"The other international bird fairs are highly commercialised encompassing the whole spectrum of bird watching industry, generating funds and supporting global bird conservation. They have special events and activities for all from lectures to workshops, book launches and selling of art work, screening of avian documentary films, quiz and entertainment programmes, guided tours and holiday packages, competitions and demonstrations," says Homan.

Much hope

"I am confident of making our fair bigger too in the years to come and make it a national event not to be missed if you are into bird watching and wild life," he adds. "It was a laudable effort aimed at inculcating the habit of observing nature among students and youth. The amount of interest bird ringing programmes explaining the migratory pattern and the guided tours evoked is really heartening. Now we are receiving calls from schools and colleges for guidance to set up eco-clubs," says Dr. T. Badhri Narayanan, an ophthalmologist from Madurai, who has been bird watching since early 70s and is a member of several Central Government projects.

From novice to full-fledged ornithologist, the South Indian Bird Watchers Fair aimed at all abilities. The opportunity to cultivate an interest in bird conservation in a fun and educating environment with activities tailored specifically for children seems to have gone down well in the opening year. The success in forthcoming years will further depend on the sustained interest of nature lovers.

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