With his help, sparrows in G'nagar come home to rest

After an entire day selling poha in Gandhinagar, Rajesh Makwana earns a measly Rs 300. But once he returns to his house in Pethapur village, the first thing that the 35-year-old does is set aside a part of his meagre earnings for sparrows.

At the end of the year, he uses this money to buy sparrow nests that he distributes for free on World Sparrow Day which is observed on March 20 every year.

On Wednesday morning, keeping with the tradition he began eight years ago, Makwana will distribute 500 sparrow nests at the garden next to the Capital Project office in Gandhinagar Sector 16.

It all began in 2010 when Makwana returned home early one day. “I sell poha outside the Capital Project in Sector 16. It was a holiday and I got very few customers so I decided to pack up early. Since it was a hot summer day, I had the fan going at full speed. A sparrow flew into my room, hit the fan and fell to the ground, injured.

“I found a shoe box and fixed it on my balcony. I kept the bird there. Within a week, the sparrow made it her nest. It was an amazing sight. I also realised that sparrows were dwindling in number. It was then that I decided to make and distribute nests every year,” said Makwana.

Initially, he made the nests from cardboard that he bought a few days before World Sparrow Day. “Now I get it made by a professional agency in Surendranagar. Each nest costs me about Rs 8,” he added.

Makwana lives with his parents, wife and two young kids who supports his love for sparrows.

His father is a retired Class 4 government employee who is always ready to support his cause. “Several times, my father has offered to pay part of the expenses from the pension he receives. However, I manage the expenditure. Not just him, my entire family encourage me in this endeavour,” he said.