Known as the “Bird Man” in India, this man feeds thousands of wild parrots twice a day; he has done this for more than ten years, spending around 40% of his income on their food.
Sekar, a passionate photographer, moved to Chennai about 20 years ago, and he started his own camera repair business. He loves birds and animals, and he always cared to provide food to every animal in need around him. Over time, he fed sparrows, crows and squirrels, but 10 years ago when a tsunami hit Chennai, two parrots of the species ‘Psittacula krameri’, also known as “Little Alexander” came to his home. Then more and more parrots kept appearing, first about 50, then 100, and then they started arriving by the hundreds. By now, about 4,000 parrots show up every day, depending on the season. In a city like Chennai, such a large flock of birds impresses everyone. The man wakes up every morning at 4:30 to prepare food, and the parrots arrive around 6:00 a.m. It takes an estimated 60 kg of rice every day to feed them, which costs at least 500 rupees. The man carefully sets piles of rice on the boards placed on the roof of his house.
Besides providing their daily food, Sekar also treats injured birds; he is known as the “Bird Man” in India rather than as a repairman of cameras. He is determined to continue to care for the birds who visit him, even though he is aware that as he advances in age this will be increasingly difficult. His body is no longer the same, his knees are weak, and he suffers from a lot of pain.
Devraj, Sekar’s neighbor, admires the love Sekar bears for the parrots and for his financial effort he is committed to take. He finds that watching him feeding parrots is quite an extraordinary and wonderful sight and sees many people who stop to look for hours.
Even if this work begins to be quite difficult due to his age, Sekar will not cease to feed and care for these wonderful birds.