Demoiselle Cranes, Khichan |
As we were motoring Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Hukum
Singh our driver suggested “would you like to see Khichan?”
Our target were the Jaisalmer Fort, Thar desert,
the camel ride and if possible see the Indo-Pak border from a distance. How
does Khichan figure in this? When asked to clarify Hukum Singh said “Sir bahut
chidiya(birds), lot of them”. Then I recalled to have read/seen somewhere
perhaps in the NDTV about this village surrounded by arid lands
and at the outskirts of this there was a big pond/lake (with knee deep) water
during the winter season.
Thousands of Cranes |
Long back (five decades) a villager Ratanlal
Maloo returned to his village Khichan(in Phalodi Tehsil, Rajasthan) and was given
the task of feeding pigeons and sparrows. One day he noticed a different bird
looking for food, though not an ornithologist, he could at least discern that
this bird was a special type. The curious villager approached the bird and
threw some grain. The bird was more cautious and it won’t go near the grains
unless the helpful villager retraced. Reading the mind of the bird, the
villager went back a few steps and stood still and the bird managed to nibble
the grains. This continued for few days and one day the bird disappeared. He
asked others in the village and they told him the bird was called kurja(in Rajasthani) or Demoiselle crane. Ratanlal was crestfallen, “what
happened to the visitor? Poaching?” God forbid. But lo and behold next year the
crane (and Ratanlal could identify as it was limping) came accompanied by other
birds and this time more courageous. That year he had to feed more birds, that
flew in a few thousand miles from the feeding grounds in Mongolia and Eurasia.
At the pond |
I was wonder struck while listening to the
narration from the keeper of the Chugga ghar. As he was narrating the story, a
few kids gathered each carrying some grains. While listening to the narration I
was looking around. There were cranes and cranes everywhere probably a few
thousands, some flying at low height, others eating the grain and occasionally
pecking each other. The noise was something that I had never heard…imagine a
few thousand birds calling each other. My daughter Jayashree went close and
clicked photos copiously.
awesome sight |
The keeper was narrating tirelessly, “Do you know
sirs, It became very taxing for Ratanlal to feed so many birds. Ratanlal had to
seek help from the village panchayat and soon other villagers joined in this
conservation effort. Soon after, the Govt of Rajasthan pitched in and funds are
released for feeding the birds. The
villagers continue to protect the cranes and Rajasthan is a place where many
animals are protected by villagers whether it is the peafowl, Chinkara or the Blackbuck.
Today Khichan has been was declared a World
Heritage site by the International Crane Foundation and the cranes are enjoying their
annual five month stay in this place. This would not have been possible but for
the initial leadership shown by Ratanlal also known as “Birdman of Khichan”. He
is no more(passed away in 2011), however he has left behind a good example of
wildlife conservation.
The heat was oppressive and we had to reach
Jaisalmer by lunch time. Though watching the cranes was irresistible, we had to
say good bye to Khichan.
(Contributed by Bipin Bihari Mishra and photocredits Jayashree Mishra )
No comments:
Post a Comment