The hot Saturday afternoon and the scorching sun did not discourage thousands of Mumbaikars from coming to the Sewri Jetty for the Flamingo Festival 2014, organised by the Bombay Natural History Society in association with the Mumbai Port Trust. The crowd- a mix of young and old, men and women, from all professions-gathered at the venue to behold the sight of around 20,000 flamingos and other birds' species. The festival also included an informative exhibition on flamingos, stalls displaying BNHS publications and education material, fun activities like 'span your wings', face painting and body tattoos and the launch of the book “Phia- The Little Flamingo,” an illustrated bird book for kids by Shamim Padamsee.
Two buses were arranged by the BNHS to carry the people to and fro Sewri station and Sewri Jetty. About 60 BNHS employees and experts and 12 volunteers were busy throughout the day, explaining people about the habitat, about the birds and giving them information about the flamingos. As the high tide started receding and the water level started lowering, at around 1:15 pm, a flock of flamingos started appearing over the horizon. People were enthralled at the sight of the pink beauties. The numbers gradually began increasing- both of the flamingos and of the people.
The enthusiastic people were enlightened by the 12 even more ennthusiastic volunteers. Sanjeev Asher, an Andheri resident and an IT professional, was volunteering for 4th or 5th time this year.
“I have been a BNHS member since a very long time. Bird-watching is a hobby and so I volunteered for the Flamingo Festival,” said a zealous Asher. Around 6-7 binoculars and spotting scopes were made available for the people to aide spotting and observing the winged population. Jessica, another bird-enthusiast, was occupied in helping children with a spotting scope. She works with GreenLine, an environmental forum and has been pursuing bird-watching as a hobby since a year.
“I have visited Sewri 2-3 times before this. I love teaching kids about the biodiversity and so I am here as a volunteer”, she said.
Watching the sea of pink, along the sprawling Sewri-Mahul mudflats, with the backdrop of mangroves, was like a poetry in motion. The graceful movements of the Lesser and Greater flamingos and their exquisite flight was a treat to the eyes. There were many other species of waders, both resident and migratory, like the Grey Heron, Western Reef Egret, Black-tailed Godwit, Whiskered Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Black-headed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-headed ibis, Little Stints, Little Green Egret, and many more. The place is a paradise for bird-watchers, photographers and nature-lovers.
Among the visitors were mostly first-timers, professional birders, photographers, students, house-wives, foreign tourists, etc. Merilynn, a post-graduate student was coming for the first time to Sewri. Expressing her excitement, she said, “I have been waiting to see the flamingos for quite some time but its worth it. I have never been to any such place before. I came to know about the festival from Google News and it is a very good experience, and luckily its not too sunny today.” Peter, a tourist from California, had been in India since a month. “I came to know about the Flamingo festival from a couple of Indian friends and I am really surprised to see so many flamingos together from so close. It is an amazing experience:, said Peter.
The main objective of the festival was to make the people aware about flamingos and pass on the message of conservation.
Nandini Borkar, a fifth-year architecture student from IES college, Bandra, was present there with a similar purpose. Setting up a research park and a public-awareness centre at Sewri was her thesis topic for the final year. She visits Sewri once every month for her research and the festival was an opportunity for her to interact with people and experts at the same time.
“Since 2006, people are proposing research centres and viewing parks to the Mumbai Port Trust but nothing has happened. The Government is not ecologically sensitive and fails to make people aware about the rich habitat and the biodiversity, which is a very sad thing. People do not know what Sewri is, if they know it, they have no idea about the flamingos, and that they come here every year in such large numbers”, said Nandini, expressing her disappointment.
Dr. Raju Kasambe, an expert in birds and one of the members of the organising team of BNHS, said, “This event comes only once a year and we wait for this experience eagerly. It gives us a chance to meet so many people and interact with them. The happiness that people feel and the smiles on their faces after watching birds is a fantastic experience”.
Speaking about the importance of the coastal ecosystem he said, “We emphasise that the proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link should be realigned by about 600 metres to the south at the Sewri end to save the habitat of the flamingos. Shifting by just 600 metres will not make any difference”.
The Flamingo Festival was one of the steps towards spreading awareness about the importance of biodiversity and its conservation. The message was effectively conveyed to the large cross section of people including corporates, students, government employees and the common masses. This will go a long way in safeguarding the natural habitats of Mumbai.
Also Read: Sewri Flamingos: A flamboyant affair
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