Bird Men of Khichan

By ANKITNARANG297 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Demoiselle Cranes in Khichan

 

In India, especially Jainism and Hinduism treats all living beings from animals down to insects and tiny creatures with great respect as aspects of God, having souls of their own, going through the same process of  birth and death as human beings. Here is a story of two great people whose empathy and compassion towards birds need to be applauded.
The story begins with a sleepy village of Khichan in Rajasthan which wakes up to the loud rattling calls of Demoiselle Cranes loitering around their village. Khichan is filled with 20,000 cranes by November which becomes a amazing sight to all bird-lovers. 

Ratanlal Maloo

Ratanlal Maloo:
That was not the case until 1970s, when Ratanlal Maloo, a native of Khichan who had been working in Odisha returned to the village. Since at first Ratanlal had little to do in this rather non-descript village, his uncle gave him the job of feeding pigeons. Being devout Jains, Ratanlal and his wife Sundarbhai lived this idea. Ratanlal would carry grain sacks to the feeding place, and his wife would help him spread the grains on the ground. A number of pigeons, sparrows and squirrels started coming to the place; peacocks also occasionally visited the place. In September, a dozen demoiselle cranes (called kurja in Rajasthani) also joined the other birds. Ratanlal fed nearly a hundred birds that first winter. But in February, they disappeared overnight. He had to wait till next winters for them to come back. And this time around, there were 150 of them. Their number kept on increasing year after year, until it reached a staggering 15,000 within two decades.

However, once the migrant demoiselle cranes started growing in numbers, problems arose. The local dogs found the three-footer birds easy prey. So Ratanlal got the panchayat (a village council) to allot him some land on the outskirts of the village, and coaxed the better-off villagers to help him build a granary and a fence around the Chugga Ghar (bird feeding home). Grains poured in from Jain traders who were supportive of the cause. A kilo of grains will feed about 10 cranes in a day. That works out to 1,500 kilos a day for the 15,000 cranes that spent around three months last winter in Khichan, or 1.5 lakh kilos for the season.

There is a simple ecological significance of Ratanlal’s act. Because the cranes get the food they need in the Chugga Ghar, they don’t ravage the farmlands of Khichan and surrounding villages, thereby averting a potential conflict with humans. Ratanlal shared with me what he had observed in these birds over the years. They gather on the sand dunes overlooking the Chugga Ghar just before daybreak. First a flock of about 30 circles overhead, making sure it’s safe to land. Once the leader of the group lands, the entire entourage follows in - waves after waves. About 500 of them can feed at a time in the enclosure, and the rest wait patiently on the sand dunes for their turn. As one group has its fill and flies away, another group takes its place.

On July 7, 2009, Ratanlal too flew away from this world in the middle of the night. The cranes are still aplenty at Khichan. Perhaps some of them do miss the hand that fed them for so many years.

Sevaram Mali Parihar

Sevaram Mali Parihar:
After Ratanlal Maloo expired, an enthusiastic youngster, Sevaram Mali Parihar, took it upon himself to care for these birds in the right earnest. He doesn't feed the birds himself like Ratan Lal did. But, he does take care of a lot of welfare measures for these birds. He rescuses the injured Demoiselle Cranes on a daily basis. On noticing that the birds were falling prey to high-voltage electricity poles erected around feeding grounds in the village, Sevaram fought hard with the civic agencies to get the high tension electricity cables removed. He filed complaints with the Deputy Collector of Phalodi, the Rajasthan High Court and Rajasthan Electricity Board (REB) to remove these deadly cables. In retaliation, a fine of Rs. 4,27,890 was levied against him by the REB (Rajasthan State Electricity Board). He fought against the imposed fine with backing of the Rajasthan Forest Department and ultimately won. The poles and high tension wires were removed. He has also worked with the REB to ensure proper insulation of all electricity wires passing through Khichan. Ever since then their number has steadily increased every year, and in some of the recent years their casual count has gone as high as 25,000. For his unrelenting efforts for the welfare & conservation of the Demoiselle cranes, Sevaram has since been honoured with several awards, including the Sanctuary RBS Wildlife Service Award in 2008. He may have dropped out of school in the eighth grade but his perseverance and spirit have made him a hero in the truest sense.
https://www.facebook.com/sevarammali.pariharkhichan
 
About Khichan Demoiselle Cranes:
The Demoiselles are so called, because when first brought to France from the steppes of Russia, the Demoiselle Crane was so christened by Queen Marie Antoinette, for its delicate maiden-like appearance. Demoiselle means 'damsel' in french. They weigh about 2–3 kg with a height of 89 cm and wing width of 155 –180 cm. Essentially grassland birds, the cranes have plain bluish gray plumage and are omnivores. The cranes fly to Khichan from their breeding grounds in the plains and steppes of Eurasia and Mongolia. 
Demoiselle Cranes arriving at Khichan have to take one of the toughest migrations in the world. In late August through September, they gather in flocks of up to 400 individuals and prepare for their flight to their winter range. During their migratory flight south, Demoiselles fly like all cranes, with their head and neck straight forward and their feet and legs straight behind, reaching altitudes of 16,000-26,000 feet (4,875-7,925 m). Along their arduous journey they have to cross the Himalayan mountains to get to their over-wintering grounds in India. Many die from fatigue, hunger and predation from Golden Eagles. In March and April, they begin their long spring journey back to their northern nesting grounds.

Location:
Khichan is situated in the midst of Thar desert. The village is located near Phalodi (on the main Jodhpur-Bikaner highway) in Rajasthan. Khichan from Delhi - the place is a good 700 kms - 16 hours away from Delhi. Khichan is located 150 km west of Jodhpur city. The nearest town is Phalodi, which is 3.4 km away. Khichan is surely the best of place for wildlife photographers and bird-lovers.

References:
Gangadharan Menon (4 September 2011). "The hand that fed the cranes in Rajasthan". DNA.