Kolkudpatti: Tamil Nadu village prefers crackerless Diwali to protect migratory birds

Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 8 (ANI): In a rapidly advancing world where people seldom find time to appreciate nature and care for its creatures, a small village in Tamil Nadu, Kolkudpatti, stands as a beacon of hope.
For decades, the villagers have chosen not to celebrate Diwali with firecrackers, in consideration of the migratory birds that visit their region. Their unique tradition sets a remarkable example for others to follow.
The Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary is a natural habitat for winter migratory birds that fly from as far as Switzerland, Russia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. The sanctuary attracts 15,000 birds every year. This year, the arrival of birds has already started.

The sanctuary has been considered one of the safe and protected breeding grounds for over 200 species of migratory birds for almost half a century, which flocked the irrigation tanks in Vettangudi, Periya Kollukudi Patti and Chinna Kollukudi Patti ever since the local villagers had been celebrating crackerless Diwali.
Ramchandra, a local resident, told ANI, "Birds came to my village when I was ten years old. After that, we have been watching the birds safely. We do not burst crackers during Diwali. Our kids love to burst crackers, but they don't burst crackers, keeping the birds in mind."
Forest department sources said Kollukudipatti village is located near the Vetangudi bird sanctuary located at Tiruppathur on the Karaikudi-Madurai highway.
The sanctuary is famous for various migratory birds like grey herons, darters, spoonbills, white ibis, Asian open bill storks, night herons and native land birds like painted storks, little cormorants, pintail little egrets, intermediate egrets, cattle egrets, common teals, and spot bill ducks.
The 38-acre bird sanctuary is visited by various species of birds from September to February.
Maheswari, another resident, said, "It has been 25 years since I came to this town. We do not celebrate Diwali for these birds. The arrival of birds has decreased due to less rainfall this year. Due to this, the tourists who come here return disappointed, not being able to see the birds."
Further, Maheswari said, "This year there are more monkeys so birds eggs are broken by monkeys Because of this, bird arrivals have decreased. There are no basic facilities for the tourists who come here to see the birds, so the forest department should take this into consideration and provide the necessary facilities for the tourists." (ANI)