Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023 05:45 [IST]
Last Update: Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023 00:10 [IST]
Something
Doable for All
Sparrows,
once so abundant around our houses, are now on the way to extinction. In order
to raise awareness about their plight, and to save them from extinction, noted
Indian environmentalist Mohammed Dilawar initiated the practice of celebrating
World Sparrow Day on March 20, 2010. Since then, it has been celebrated every
year.
What
can we do to let sparrows increase their numbers, and once again be seen all
around us, chirping and frolicking? We can easily provide food and shelter for
them. Just throw some rice or other grains on your roof or yard, and that would
go a long way in helping them find food. Other birds may also join them to
claim that food, of course, and that is also good. In many parts of the world,
there are people who provide food, water and shelter for birds. In Rajasthan,
it is a practice with many people to offer water to birds in small troughs or
containers placed in front of the house. In South India, offering cooked rice
to crows in the morning is a routine practice for many.
Another
thing we can do for our little friends and other small birds like them is not
to destroy trees and shrubs around the house. Besides attracting birds, trees
add to the beauty of the environment around our houses, and make the air clean,
provide us oxygen, and act as natural, out-door air-conditioners, all for free.
With
just a little effort, we can also provide nests for the birds to lay their
eggs. Simple wooden or ply-board nests, or round bamboo pieces with one end
closed and the other open, old shoe boxes—any of these, placed conveniently and
firmly over ventilators, under eaves, in sheds outside the house or any other
place which is protected from strong sunlight and rain—can serve as nests for
sparrows and occasionally for other little birds.
Of
course, these simple things are not to be done only on March 20, but all the
time. It is not that we can work for the environment only by protecting huge
forests; such small efforts to save the sparrow can also be a big step towards
environmental health.
Mohammed
Dilawar says, “When you save a sparrow, you save your back yard. When you save
your back yard, you save a tree. When you save a tree, you save birds, insects,
lizards and bees. When you save birds, insects, lizards and bees, you save a
forest. When you save a forest, you save our planet in this journey. It’s a
journey of a lifetime; so let’s start it today.”
(The author is Associate Professor,
Department of English, Gauhati University. Email: sanjeevnath21@gmail.com)