MAYILADUTHURAI: Sirkazhi Railway Station was young Sharavanan’s preferred destination during after-school hours. He walked to the station located near his house to see the steam engines from close quarters. He found the melodious chirping of hundreds of sparrows perched on telephone cables and trees near the station to be especially soothing.
As time flew, steam engines were phased out. Overhead telephone cables were redundant as fibre cables went underground. Trees were hacked. As wireless communication evolved, the population of house sparrows declined.
Meet Sharavanan Krishnamoorthy, a 45-year-old civil engineer from Sirkazhi, who has made it his life’s mission to conserve house sparrows with his initiative called ‘Vizhudhugal Chittukuruvigal Paathukaapu Thittam’ (Vizhudhugal House Sparrows Conservation Project) in 2019. Sharavanan and his team of carpenters have made over 900 birdhouses in the past five years and distributed them across the country.
The birdhouses are made of plywood and are non-toxic, also having a slot for wall mounting.
Sharavanan wants to make more birdhouses but said it is difficult without funding. Each birdhouse costs about Rs 350 to Rs 450 including material and labour.
His initiative has not only helped in conserving the population of house sparrows but has also created awareness among children about the need to conserve birds. Amutha Kumar, a homemaker who mounted Sharavanan’s birdhouse at her house in Achalpuram village, said, “The birdhouse has kindled interest among our children about the need to conserve birds. Our house sometimes turns into a concert arena.”
Apart from his bird conservation work, Sharavanan has been involved in several other social causes such as tree plantation, blood donation, beach clean-ups and fixing old school buildings. He considers bird conservation to be his dearest cause.
Sharavanan is not alone in his mission as his wife Umamaheswari has served as strong moral support for him to continue his work. Like him, his 15-year-old son Tharan also takes an active interest in the birdhouses and carpenters often make him check the quality before Sharavanan distributes them. Besides, volunteers from Vizhudhugal Eyakkam, an organisation he has started in 2012, also help him with his work.
With World Sparrow Day coming up on Monday (March 20), Sharavanan requests people to place a bowl of water in front of their houses with some grains to save birds from exhaustion in search of food and water in the scorching heat. He also stresses bird conservation amidst advancing technology and urbanization. Sharavanan believes that simple steps like planting trees and mounting birdhouses can go a long way in conserving birds.
“As technology continues to advance rapidly, we are entering a new era of 5G and beyond, with higher levels of radiation that are endangering the bird population. While we cannot stop the progress of technology or urbanisation, we can take simple steps to conserve birds, we can make amends for the damage we have done and create a more sustainable future for all species,” he adds.