With his help, sparrows come home to rest

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

At the top of the year, he uses this cash to shop for sparrow nests that he distributes at no cost on World Sparrow Day which is noticed on March 20 every year.

On Wednesday morning, maintaining with the custom he began 8 years in the past, Makwana will distribute 500 sparrow nests at the garden next to the Capital Project workplace in Gandhinagar Sector 16.

It all began in 2010 when Makwana returned house early sooner or later. “I sell poha outside the Capital Project in Sector 16. It was once a holiday and I were given only a few consumers so I made up our minds to close up early. Since it was once a scorching summer day, I had the fan going at complete pace. A sparrow flew into my room, hit the fan and fell to the ground, injured.

“I found a shoe box and glued it on my balcony. I stored the chook there. Within every week, the sparrow made it her nest. It was once an amazing sight. I also realised that sparrows were dwindling in number. It was once then that I made up our minds to make and distribute nests every year,” mentioned Makwana.

Initially, he made the nests from cardboard that he purchased a few days before World Sparrow Day. “Now I am getting it made by way of a certified agency in Surendranagar. Each nest costs me about Rs 8,” he added.

Makwana lives along with his oldsters, spouse and two young kids who helps his love for sparrows.

His father is a retired Class 4 executive worker who's always ready to beef up his cause. “Several times, my father has offered to pay part of the expenses from the pension he receives. However, I arrange the expenditure. Not just him, my entire circle of relatives encourage me in this endeavour,” he mentioned.