Whistles, loud calls, and shrieks fill the air as two groups indulge in a round of ‘Kabootar Bazi’, a pigeon racing competition. Men stand atop tankis (water tanks) or even chajjas (eaves) to seek the best view of a flock of pigeons flying in the air, and if all goes right, help the owner of the flock gain the title of a ‘Khalifa’ or an ‘Ustad’.
History books and films—remember Om Puri in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi-6?—have given us a glimpse of this age-old practice of kabootarbazi (the sport of pigeon flying) that is believed to have originated during the Mughal rule. However, little do we know the details of this practice. So when city-based photographers Himanshu Singh Thakur (33) and Vipin Singh (31) came across Old Delhi residents partaking in kabootarbazi, it only made sense for the duo to shoot what they saw.
The result: Kabootarbaazi, a short documentary that throws light on this practice. “We used to do a lot of street photography around the area. It was out of curiosity that we started visiting the terraces [of residents] to photograph them. Eventually, we thought it would be a great idea to document their sport,” the duo shared in an email interview with The Morning Standard.
On the wings of time
Pigeon racing has been an integral part of Old Delhi’s culture. “This is a hobby that is now a part of our blood,” shares a respondent in the film. Once prevalent across the city, the number of practitioners has reduced with time. Thakur and Singh observed the kabootar baaz (who practise this sport) for months. “We shot around six to seven terraces over a period of three months during winter. From one terrace, we would get recommendations to speak to another well-known kabootar baaz in the area, and so on,” they add.
In a tournament—or kushti—pigeons of two groups are freed to battle each other. “A kushti does not mean a physical fight among the pigeons but it refers to the process of mixing two groups of pigeons and calling them back.” In the process, pigeons often get exchanged too, and may be captured by the other party. “The conflict is later resolved depending on how friendly or competitive the equation is between the kabootar baaz,” they share.
There was also a time when one could buy pigeons anywhere between `1 and `3. “Today, it is an expensive practice,” shares another respondent, mentioning how pigeons are now sold for lakhs. The film—it features an original background score by Ravi Khatri—also touches upon the harm caused by the synthetic manjha (thread) to these pigeons.
After working on this film for a year, the duo screened Kabootarbaazi at a few film festivals this year—The Clapperboard Golden Festival, International Strasburg Film Festival, to name a few. “It was our first experience making a documentary film and we sent it to a lot of festivals across the globe. We were glad that it was selected in 11 festivals for screening,” they conclude.