Assam village breaks Bihu tradition to save two doves and their hatchling

GUWAHATI:  An Assam village has won many hearts by choosing love for nature over tradition. The villagers of Kokaitola in Sipajhar area of Darrang district broke tradition to save a pair of doves as they celebrated the harvest festival Magh Bihu, also called Bhogali Bihu.

The Assamese construct a Bhela Ghar, a structure made of thatch, bamboo, straw and dried leaves. These structures are a temporary place to spend the night during the festival. The entire community enjoys the night before Uruka or Bihu as people eat food prepared for the feast before burning the huts the next morning.

The locals in Kokaitola had also constructed a Bhela Ghar but did not burn it as two birds had built their nest on the hut and had hatched eggs in it as well. They also refrained from having the feast in the hut so as to not scare them away. Gobinda Chandra Nath, who is the president of Kokaitola Unnayan Samitee, said it was a unanimous decision of the villagers.

“After toiling for about a week, the village boys and girls had constructed the Bhela Ghar. But on the eve of Uruka, they noticed two doves and their nest. They also saw a dove hatching the eggs. They contacted us and the villagers took a unanimous decision not to set the Bhela Ghar on fire after the feast.

We did it to save the two birds,” Nath said. He said the birds could have been shooed away but it was not done as one washatching eggs. Maheswar Nath, a villager, said, “People are becoming aware about the protection of nature and wildlife.” Manas Kumar Nath, a village youth who was among those who built the Bhela Ghar, said the villagers had no regrets.

“We have decided that we will not set it on fire till the birds leave the place with the hatchlings,” he said. Moloy Baruah, president of wildlife protection NGO Early Birds, hailed the villagers. “We should love all creatures of God. Only then, they will survive. It is heartening that they took this step,” he said.