Cuttack: Humanity shines the brightest during the darkest times. A jobless youth from Cuttack has proved this right by giving food and water to hapless birds during the lockdown.
“I have seen people giving food to humans and stray animals during the pandemic. So I thought of doing the same for birds across the city,” said Biswa Ranjan Mohanty, a resident of Nayabazar in Cuttack.
The 28-year-old Biswa informed that his care for birds goes back to his childhood. “My father used to feed small pieces of roti to the birds around our house. After his death, I continued the practice. This inculcated in me a love for these beautiful creatures,” he shared.
“For me, the feeling of living without a family is the same as living without birds in society. I feel very happy while listening to the sounds of birds. I then forget all my sorrows,” said the bird lover.
After completing his graduation, Biswa was working at a private English medium school in Cuttack. He lost his job due to the pandemic.
But this hasn’t deterred this youth from carrying out his duty towards his winged friends. “I am using my savings to feed the birds. Sometimes, my friends also help me financially for this work,” he said.
He is also concerned about the survival of birds due to deforestation and other modern anomalies. The mushrooming number of cell phone towers has been playing havoc with the population of birds. The radiation from the cell phone towers is harmful to birds and only trees can save these hapless creatures at this point of time,” Biswa said.
“We should also make small houses for the birds near our homes and keep food and water for them. We should also make birds’ house for their safety,” he said, adding, “I also plan to plant trees for the birds. This is essential for their survival,” he added.
As for his own survival, Biswa said, “After the lockdown, I will try for another job to meet my daily needs. But, I will work for the survival of birds till my last breath.”
