Bhubaneswar: Arranging water pots to address the water woes of the birds and also feeding them might seem like an absurd waste of time, money and energy for youths of the present generation. However, Subhranshu Satpathy is an exception. He places earthen pots with water to quench the thirst of birds apart from feeding them. Since 2008, this 34-year-old youth has been feeding and quenching the thirst of birds without any hesitation.
Subhranshu, an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a volunteer of the UN Environment Programme, distributes seedballs and nesting boxes among the kids to safeguard the environment. Also, he conducts workshops at government schools, educating children about the importance of trees and how to grow them from seedballs.
Hailing from Dhenkanal, Subhranshu has been conducting workshops at schools, clubs and community centres for the last 13 years. So far, he has distributed more than 40,000 earthen pots for thirsty birds and created more than 1 lakh seedballs.
In short, this young guy does nothing extraordinary. He does simple, doable and affordable things like putting nesting boxes and water/grain bowls on balconies.
Subhranshu, in a candid conversation with Ommcom News, talks about people who inspired him to do this exemplary service for our environment.
Known as Birdman of Odisha, Subhranshu feels that young children should understand why it’s important to feed a hungry creature. Bird feeding helps kids learn how to take care of animals, and over time, that leads to taking care of other people. With Odisha reeling under severe heatwave conditions, birds like house sparrows, parakeets and crows are in a desperate search for water sources to satiate their thirst. It should be our responsibility to inculcate the habit of giving water to birds every day and feeding them.
“We should fill up pots with water and food grain so that the birds will quench their thirst and get relief from hunger in this summer heat”, said the young ecologist.
“Now-a-days trees are vanishing in cities like anything. In the absence of branches of trees, birds are found sitting on electric wires. Many birds get electrocuted in the process. Besides, ventilators in homes have been replaced by ACs and trees by ornamental plants and decorative flower shrubs in parks, making it impossible for the birds to make nests. Keeping it in mind, I also distribute eco-friendly handmade nests for house sparrows where they can live peacefully. All I want is to save these tiny creatures. After all, birds play a crucial role in dispersing the seeds of trees which they consume along with the fruits only to excrete on vacant lands. This will help create green cover too,” maintained the UN award-winning environmentalist.
Talking about his inspiration, he said, “My father was a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO). I have been connected with nature and forests since my childhood. Both of my parents had soft corners for animals and birds. When I was a toddler I saw my mother keeping water and grains for birds in a pot during summer. So, my concern for birds is very much spontaneous.
Recollecting an anecdote, he said “During a trip, my father’s car broke down in the middle of nowhere. I was hungry and my father gave me a guava. I nibbled the fruit and threw out the bits with the seeds. Seeing this, my father told me ‘One day a guava tree would grow where you threw the seeds’. This line uttered by his father had a lasting impact on me. I made up my mind to do my bit for the environment. And I started preparing seedballs.”
Subhanshu, however, urged everyone to join hands to save birds from getting extinction.
That’s not all. Subhransu is a documentary filmmaker. His movie titled ‘They Really Need Us’ was screened at the Dadasaheb Film Festival. He has also been felicitated at UK Wildlife Films. He has been honoured with UN Environment Time Hero.
Urging children to join him in his noble mission, he said, “A majority of birds die due to water scarcity during summer. And I cannot place earthen pots everywhere for birds. So, I request everyone especially kids to make it habit of quenching the thirst of birds and feeding them. I have visited schools across the state and demonstrated students how to satiate birds with water and food grains. I have observed that birds won’t sip water if you keep it in a steel or plastic pot. If you keep water in an earthen pot, the birds will drink it.”
By Rashmi Rekha Das
