KOCHI: Smack in the middle of Fort Kochi, a group of youngsters have gathered and all are looking up at the sky. Soon, they start pointing up. Debates and arguments get intense as seconds turn to minutes.
Near them stands a man observing everything with a calm that only comes with familiarity. “They’re tracking the pigeons,” says Nisar as he continues his meditative glance towards the clouds.
“They released the birds early this morning for the tournament,” he says, adding, “I’m the umpire and they must report their ‘parava’ sightings to me every hour.”
Soon, excitement surges, as one of them, Niyas K B, spots his pair of birds in the sky. “I flew them today from my loft. But it was cloudy and we couldn’t see them clearly,” says the 29-year-old. He claims his pigeon stayed in the sky for over 10 hours before they returned.
This is a heated moment of the ‘Parava tournament,’ a coveted sport of the locals since 1979. From June to August, anticipation and excitement fill the air. In the quiet moments of dawn, enthusiasts gather atop homes, their eyes trained on the sky. Joyous celebrations echo through the lofts when trained pigeons achieve record flight times.
Muhammed Safwan, a 29-year-old welding worker, says he and his birds are aiming for a record-breaking flight time.
“The competition intensifies after 7pm, requiring participants to spot their pigeons every 25 minutes,” explains Safwan. “I lost sight of mine at one point. I could have withdrawn to ensure the timing was recorded, but I persisted, hopeful for my ‘Vella Kalanga’ and ‘Vaal Karuppu Praavu.’ Now, I’m preparing for the competition next week,” adds Safwan, whose birds set a record with an 18-hour and 15-minute flight in the 2022 All Kerala Tournament.
The competitions are mainly organised under the aegis of three major associations --- Cochin Pigeon Flying Association, Cochin Dove Flying Association and Old Pigeon Flying Association.
Manish T A, founder of the open championship and secretary of Friends Karuvelipady, says in Kochi alone there are over 300 teams indulging in the competition. The members include children as young as five to 70-year olds.
“During the tournament season, the people of Kochi unite. More than a sport, it’s an addiction,” says Manish, who has been keenly observing the sport since he was eight.
“I remember getting my own pigeon for `7. It was years ago. Though my father participated in competitions, he discouraged me from pursuing it. But I couldn’t imagine a day without these poor beings. So, without his knowledge, I secretly carved out shelters for them in boxes,” he adds.
Suneer K M says, “Most of the participants here are daily wage labourers. After a day of toil, it gives them relief to care for the birds and play with them. Some even take a few birds to the roof and release them. To see them- fly is a stress-buster,” he says. Sudheer rears almost 200 pigeons along with his friend O G Faizil.
Train, fly, repeat
The teams who participate in the tournament are quite diligent in prepping the pigeons. Months before the competition, participants draw lots to determine the dates of the matches and training is provided accordingly.
“While the competition only requires participants to fly a pair of pigeons, some train sets of six to 10 birds as backup,” adds Manish.
By March, the pigeons are provided medicines, including vitamins and proteins. Deworming is also done to improve overall health. According to participants, after 15 days, the feathers would be removed to make way for a fresh set. “New feathers enhance a pigeon’s flying ability. Pigeons naturally molt over several months, so the competition should be scheduled accordingly. Plucked feathers regenerate fully in about 45 days, so by the first week of May, the pigeons will have a new set of feathers,” says Manish.
During this period, maintaining the pigeons’ physical condition is crucial. Alongside vitamin supplements, their daily diet includes almonds, millets, and chickpeas. “It’s quite costly. We might go through nearly 5kg of almonds in a month,” says Manish.
The goal is to ensure they fly at full strength without exhaustion. If they become too tired, they might stop flying and land away from their loft. The training spans approximately 30 days. While the tournament requires flying two birds, the primary focus of each participant is on one parava, with the second bird serving as a companion.
As training progresses, flight times gradually extend, enhancing the birds’ blood circulation. Within a few weeks, they can fly continuously for up to eight hours. “Initially, pigeons are shown the area and guided back to their lofts using another pigeon. Later, they practice landing without any cues,” explains Manish.
Pigeons reliably stick to the routines they’re taught. The tournament rules, established at its inception, are tailored to the capabilities of pigeons in general, says Nisar.
The match
On the day of the competition, a seal is imprinted on the tail to identify the pigeons. The competition starts at 6am and ends at 7pm or until the bird lands. Once released, the pigeon must be visible every hour. Owners must spot their pigeon each hour to validate their participation, else they risk disqualification. After 7pm, the pigeon must be visible every 25 minutes. Halogen lights are used to signal the birds when it is time to land or locate them.
The birds are required to land within 50 metres of their release point and must not land in another loft, even its within the 50-metre limit.
“Well-trained pigeons fly within a few kilometres. However, there have been instances where birds were spotted as far as Kadavanthra and Chottanikkara. Owners had to go out and retrieve them. In addition to the seal, each pigeon wears a ring bearing contact details,” says Nisar.
The beginning
P J Anthony, 68, is one of the pioneers who helped initiate the tournament. “The person who began it all was Dr Raj Eashow, a footballer from Thiruvananthapuram. He discovered pigeon flying during his journeys to attend tournaments,” recalls Anthony, the first to fly his pigeon for 14 hours and one minute. “Unlike many parts of Kerala where the sport was already popular, Kochi was unfamiliar with it. Eashow used to say training a pigeon posed a greater challenge than earning his medical degree,” laughs Anthony.
Initially, it was just seven people participating in the tournament — P R Xavier, P P John, Berny Morris, Chandran Pillai, and K J Sudheer.
“Initially, convincing the older generation about flying pigeons was challenging. For it meant missing a day’s work and wage for many, or skipping school. However, as the initial tournaments kicked off, apprehensions eased,” Anthony recalls.
Those days, the prize money ranged from `75 to `125. As time passed, it grew to `25,000 and occasionally, `1 lakh and gold coins. “Such prizes boosted the popularity and eventually, ‘Kochikkaaar rajakanmaar aayi’ (Kochiites became champions),” laughs Anthony, who turned down a job offer abroad as it meant leaving his pigeons.
“When my father worked at the shipyard, he always rushed home to his 200 pigeon ‘children’,” laughs Saxby, Anthony’s son who is also a pigeon flier. Though maintaining pigeons is an expensive affair, none of them will trade their beloved birds for anything. They say the bond between the birds and their caretakers is indescribable. Every single one is passionate and proud of their birds’ achievements.