Birdwatching doesn’t give much boost to the economy. Birdwatchers wear dull clothes and are content with eating simple food (often packed from home). Lady birdwatchers don’t carry fancy purses. Even for the stay, they look for a remote place- one which is frequented by freaks, loners and backpackers. However, the camouflage clothing of the birdwatchers can create funny situations- just as it happened once with the members of Nature Connect Club. We were in a forested area near Chakki Mod in Himachal Pradesh. A guy in camouflage clothing was standing by the side of the road. I asked him, ‘Which birds did you find here?’ The guy smiled and said, ‘I am a soldier waiting to catch a bus to reach Subathu cantonment.’ All of us had a good laugh. On the other hand, in the early nineties, we were mistaken for militants while birding near a bridge in Phillaur, Punjab, because the policemen thought of the big camera lenses as firearms. Apart from an India Pakistan cricket match, nothing excites me more than a nature watching trip which entails observation of birds, butterflies, plants and insects in their natural habitat. It is an addiction which is easily approved and even encouraged by the wives because a birdwatcher is less likely to become a sharabi-kababi.
Detoxification, adventure, physical activity, spirituality, discovery, photography, travel- which other activity can provide you so much. Dawn is the time when the birds are most active because breakfast is their main meal (most of them don’t take lunch and dinner). Did you know that most birds are pure non-veg? Don’t go by their chirping- even the cute little ones eat insects. Birds are known to have calls for different occasions and there must be an ‘I love you’ call too. It is another matter that instead of a rose, the lady love is presented with a caterpillar. Of course, the male birds can’t be as smart as human guys- they can’t feign to have had an unhappy childhood, to evoke the sympathy factor in the female.
In the late morning, the birds go off to sleep and the flying flowers (butterflies) become active. Nature watchers aren’t devoid of human interaction as they often go for excursions in a group. Once a family joined the monthly nature walk of our nature club. Since we were aware that they had joined just for a picnic, we made a rule about the maximum number of selfies- four. Needless to say, the rule was broken with impunity.
The locals look at the birdwatchers with an air of amusement and probably wonder what makes them go crazy over different types of ‘chidia’ and ‘pakshi’. While we were birding along a village, we got talking with a family. The matriarch couldn’t help saying to me, ‘Beta, you are so thin. Do eat to your heart’s content!’ My pride in being slim hath a fall that day.
If you want to give an added dimension to your life- start nature watching. The partying, shopping, social media time and gossiping will automatically reduce!
Jas Kohli is a noted humour writer. He is the author of three bestselling humour novels, ‘Lights! Wedding! Ludhiana!’, ‘Lights! Scalpel! Romance!’, and ‘Anything to Look Hot’.