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Flight of the pigeons
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From ferrying secrets and love notes in the olden days, homing pigeons are now raced as a sport, writes Anima Balakrishnan
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WIND IN THEIR WINGS The racing avians PHOTOS: ANANTHAN
The legend goes that Noah took a great fancy to them. Queen Elizabeth II and emperor Akbar were their royal admirers. And celebrities from Marlon Brando and Walt Disney to the controversial Mike Tyson also liked them. Those who feed regularly on the mythology on television will remember spotless white homers that flutter their way to settle on golden perches and deliver a royal message.
Racing pigeons have had their share of the historic pie. Key messengers during the Second World War, they ferried battle secrets and strategies. Post-war, they basked in their newfound glory, as racing pigeons began to be pursued earnestly, especially in the West. Homing pigeons, once a special breed used for shuttling messages, are now used for pigeon racing — a million dollar sport in the West.
Finding its feet here
The hobby of sending pigeons on a race has been around in India for over three decades. While Kolkata and Chennai are big on pigeon racing, Coimbatore is slowly beginning to find its feet when it comes to the sport.
The Coimbatore Racing Pigeon Association came into being last September and is already three races old.
"Though there were plans to start a pigeon racers' association about 20 years ago, there were not enough takers then," says Baldrey, a veteran pigeon racer and technical advisor to the association.
The three races conducted by the club have been from Erode to Coimbatore, Salem to Coimbatore and the last one from Tiruvannamalai to Coimbatore.
The birds are released from the race points and the winner is judged by the speed with which the bird returns to the owner's house.
"Pigeons have the instinctive tendency to get back and homing pigeons tend to reach home faster," says S. Prasad, secretary of the association. But, for the pigeon enthusiasts, it all depends on the bird.
"The moment you see a bird, from the way it stands, you will be able to make out if it is a champion," says C. Subramanian.
The eyes, feet and chest are a good indication of the pigeon's capability. Baldrey also believes it runs in the family. "If the pigeon has to be a good racer, it depends on its pedigree," he says. "It is important to pick the bird from a good loft — birds that had champion father or grandfather," says Baldrey.
In the United States and Europe, where a pigeon race win can fetch you a million dollars, meticulous care is taken to choose the right bird. In Belgium and Germany, considered to be the Mecca for the best pigeon, a bird can cost almost a lakh.
But the birds doing the rounds at the races here are the desi ones, which cost you anywhere between Rs. 80 and 1,000.
Apart from the lineage, the performance of a pigeon will depend on its training.
"There is no fixed pattern when it comes to training the bird; it all depends on the individual's style," says Subramanian.
Training is mostly about giving the bird as much flight practice as possible. Often the bird is taken to points close to the race points and left to find their way back.
Different methods are adopted by different clubs to judge the winner and the Coimbatore club has its own method way of finding the champion.
"Here a secret number is given to the bird before releasing it. The owner reads out the number once the bird gets back and the time is noted down," explains Prasad.
If pigeons are to be bred to race it calls for special care too.
"Before the race, a bird has to be given a fat rich diet with peanuts, badam and millets," says Subramaniam.
But Baldrey points out, that the primary concern is to keep them free of illness.
"It is vital to keep the bird fit and give it proper medication," he says.
But the enthusiasts say there are not just enough takers for the sport. "To be frank, it is an expensive sport, like horse racing," admits Baldrey.
But they vouch the only way the sport can take off in Coimbatore is when more people become part of it.
For details on the club, call 98941 61060.
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