BIRDS , BABUS AND BENGALIS 



Recently I aqquired an antique brass bird stand or 'pakhir dnaarr' as it is popularly called in Bengali . Such beautiful brass hanging stands with twin 'makara' faces are reminiscent of the glorious colonial art , when victorian way of keeping parrots in stands fused with indigenous mythological motifs and manifested as an independent art form in the city of Calcutta . Forsaken by the original owners , it landed up in scrap seller's shops from where it was picked up by me not just because I have an interest in birds , but also because this little thing speaks volumes about Bengal's penchant for birdkeeping .

Indian's have kept birds as pets for centuries before any other civilization , but it was in Bengal that the passion manifested fully . Fed by the islamic birdkeeping traditions like falconry , cock fight and pigeon keeping , it grew into a full fledged industry with dealers specialising in ways to trap , tame and nurture birds .

'Chandanaa'

Alexandrine parakeet was thus named on the famous Alexander the Great , who took back number of this species to Greece after his conquest of India in 327 B.C. In Bengal the parakeet is called Chandanaa . Greater Hill mynah , or simply bengali moynaah , was prized for its talking skills .

'Pahari moynaah'

Even Australian birds like Cockatoo got its bengali name - Kakatua ! And who can forget the immortal songs - " lal juhti kakatua " or " bulbul pakhi moyna tiye " ?

'Kakatuaa'

In the days of babudom , it was a trend of the rich and affluent to keep flocks of best homing pigeons on their terraces . Fights of bulbul birds often attracted big wagers ! Rich homes competed with each other in collecting rare and exotic birds . Even today , many bonedi baris ( aristocratic homes) have a lingering collection of exotic birds .

And what else can show the craziness for birds than the fabled 'bagbazaar pokkhir dawl' ?!

Kalighat pat showing a courtesan with a peacock , giving an idea of how popular bird keeping was in colonial times

In later 18th and early 19th century , babu culture was at its prime . Rich babus squandered millions in Durga pujas and in wedding of their pets ! They burnt ten rupee notes to light a cigar and went around on zebra drawn carriages !
During this time , a group of like minded men , usually idle youngsters of well to do families formed a group . Their activities included competing with each other in opium , ganja and charas , mastering hindustani classical songs , penning songs themselves and spending time in 'adda' and debates . Depending on the prowess of a particular individual in taking drugs , he would be assigned a honorary title of a bird name . The more majestic bird names for the more majestic addicts ! After thus honored with the title , that individual would often behave in manners of that bird and speak in a codified language that resembled the calls of that bird !
Many bengali friends might have heard grandmoms and mothers speaking in a gibberish tongue , seemingly unintelligible to our ears but perfectly understandable to them who speaks in it . Such gibberish speaking originated from the talking styles of members of 'pokkhir dol' !
Apart from penning songs and singing , they also provided light comical relief to rich babus of those times by composing light satires and rhymes , for which the group was patronised by them . Roop Chand pokkhi -- a famous member , designed his horse carriage to look like a cage of a bird !

Even today it would be hard to find a Bengali home where at least a parakeet has not be kept as a pet at some point of time ! 

But things Started changing fast after Independence . Australia was first to ban export of its native species . This sharply impacted the Calcutta bird markets . Cockatoos , so prized as a cage bird was no longer to be seen . The prices sky rocketed and soon what was a common bird in many homes became a bird from songs and story telling . The second blow came when Indian government banned keeping Indian birds in India ! And the last hurdle was the collapse of joint family system . Small nuclear families living in dingy appartments , with working parents could no longer afford time or money to keep exotic birds . Extended verandahs with italian marbled flooring and hanging bird stands and victorian cages are now a thing of the past . But perhaps , all is not lost yet . The recent rise in bird shows across the city shows that people still retain some of the old passion that this city had . The changing times may have restricted its free growth , but the nostalgia and love that Bengalis once had for birds still continues .....

Sharmila tagore with pet Chandana in Satyajit Ray's film Devi