- Novanita Sharma
The gusty, unruffled time of the year has finally settled for the annual show of colours, and symphonies, as Mother Nature gracefully adorns the many shades of the Spring. A fresh dash of life will soon emerge from its quite hibernation in the pedestal of Nature. In countries like India, the cradle of a forest-based civilization, the prevalence of bountiful Nature had influenced a wide spectrum of cultural and religious festivals that celebrate the beauty and essence of Spring in different parts of the country. Assam hosts a yearly extravaganza of this festive mood in the name of community celebrations as ‘Bohag Bihu’. In Assam, the spring festivities identify with cultural and ethnic unity for all; for ‘Bohag’ is nothing less than an emotion of harmony for ages, it celebrates the bonding within human beings while getting inspired by the age-old kinship of human beings with Nature. Assam’s ‘bohag bihu’ is inseparable from the floral and faunal wealth of the state. From ‘Kopou phool’(Foxtailed Orchid), ‘Borhomthuri’ (Magnolia hodgsonii), ‘Jetuka’(Lawsonia inermis), to Assam’s muga silk, and the Buffalo horn trumpet (Mohor xingar pepa), the beloved ‘bohag bihu’ of Assam is a celebration of its rich biodiversity.
While, the traditional festival involves the people in a human centric celebration of the natural plenty, Nature’s Beckon had driven an active participation of the people of Assam with the animated springtime vivacity of the wilderness around us, through its unique initiative to connect everyone with the wild birds, and their habitats through a statewide program called ‘Bihu Sorai Gonana’ (Bihu Bird Count). This program typically guided the people to connect with the wild birds during spring, because it is relatively easier to spot the wild birds in our surroundings during this season, due to their breeding plumage, and conspicuous behaviors which appear in this breeding season of wild birds. It ran successfully across all the districts of, Assam, involving hundreds of people in recording the names of the wild birds with a rough count of its total numbers seen in the particular area during spring. It led to the documentation of a massive database of wild birds’ species from all over Assam during successive spring seasons by Nature’s Beckon
This program opened a completely new paradigm of the natural world for the people, everyone could connect with the vivacious representation of the spring season as seen amidst the wild birds of Assam. It created awareness regarding the importance of wild birds’ conservation, and guided the people to connect with the natural habitats of wild birds, their nesting trees which exists amidst human habitations. Many people started to take active part in Nature’s Beckon’s wild bird’s conservation campaigns like the ‘All Assam Wild Birds Preservation Campaign’. This program greatly contributed in raising the awareness regarding the residential bird species, and their habitats in Assam. For many of my friends who had the priviledge to participate in the ’Bihu Sorai Gonana’, could never forget the happiness and thrill of this unique spring time activity. The calls of ‘Kuli’ (Asian Koel) and ‘Keteki’ (Common Hawk Cuckoo) reverberated with purposeful goals for all of us during these years, apart from being the harbingers of spring season in Assam. ‘Bihu Sorai Gonana’ was effectively spread and conducted across Assam with cooperation and support from ‘Amar Asom’, a prominent Assamese daily of that time and Late Dr. Humen Borgohain, well known litterateur of Assam who edited this news daily had fully supported this campaign.
The campaigns like ‘Bihu Soai Gonana’ has hugely contributed to the growth of Nature’s Beckon’s wild birds’ conservation movement in Assam, which began with the inception of the organization in 1982. It connected the people with Nature’s Beckon’s campaign for protection of all wild birds’ species, their eggs, nests, nesting trees, and habitats across Assam. ‘Bihu Sorai Gonana’ integrated the concepts of wild birds’ conservation with the cultural heritage of Assam by connecting ‘bohag bihu’ with wild birds’ conservation. It wittily replaced the traditional hunting of wild birds by the people with concepts and practices of wild birds’ conservation amongst the populace. This greatly contributed in curbing the killing and eating of wild birds in Assam. There was a time when wild birds like Ruddy Shelduck, Spot Billed Duck, Bar Headed Geese, Mallard, Lesser Whistling Teal, Large Whistling Teal, Sandpipers, Pond Heron, Grey Heron, Openbilled Stork, Adjutant Storks were openly sold in markets for its meat across Assam. Many species of birds like different species of Parakeets, Hill Myna, Jungle Myna, Munias were illegally sold as caged and garden birds.
Nature’s Beckon’s unrelenting efforts to educate, sensitize, and mobilize the people of Assam for wild birds’ conservation through various programs, trainings, and activities since 1982 have brought a sea change in this scenario. The present social scene of Assam where we often come across conservation enthusiasts, or bird lovers from different corners of the state, who are engaged in wild bird’s photography, wild bird’s based eco-tourism activities, research and studies on wild birds, various single species centric wild bird’s conservation campaigns, is the result of this four decades long Nature’s Beckon led wild birds’ conservation movement in Assam. This movement continues to evolve and progress with the course of time, because it addresses the arising challenges and conservation needs of wild birds of the region. While we explore new horizons for wild birds’ conservation, I think the none of us must forget to immerse in the spring festivity of Mother Nature; in all its grandeur, amongst the wild birds, leaves, trees, buds, and flowers, all over the places, in all possible nooks and corners of our beautiful country. May we find meaningful ways to connect with this celebration, may this force of life lead all beings to compassion, peace, and happiness.