Concerned with the decrease in sparrow population, environmentalist Rakesh Khatri of Eco Roots Foundation, is helping increase their numbers by helping people make and install nests

In 2008, a maali gave Rakesh Khatri ₹50, blessed him, and asked him to continue to do the work he was doing. They were at the Garimandu city forest, near Wazirabad Signature Bridge. “You’re giving homes to those whom we have displaced,” he’d said.

Khatri, who’d been a photographer and documentary film-maker, dabbled in making nests for sparrows that would come and roost in them. He’d given up his full-time job to devote all his time to the cause, often choosing a urban area, like he did at the Mayur Vihar toll plaza, and installing upto a 100 nests, to build back the sparrow population.

The gardener’s voice remained with him though, and in 2011, Khatri, alarmed by the unnatural phenomenon of the fast-disappearing bird, established the Eco Roots Foundation.

Today, his organisation conducts workshops for children, where experts teach participants how to build nests for sparrows. The nests are made of eco-friendly materials like coconut fibre, jute thread and bamboo sticks. “So far, these nests have attracted quite a number of birds seeking nesting spaces,” says Rakesh, who hopes people will put them up in backyards and even in little nooks on their balconies. “It takes just 40 minutes to learn and make the nest, but this activity stays with children lifelong.” While nest-making helps children understand how birds build, it also introduces them to the wider concept of connection with nature, and of being sensitive to creatures.

He remembers his growing-up years in Chandni Chowk, dotten with sparrow’s nests in homes. Later, he observed the reduction in the population when he settled in Ashok Vihar. “I now stay in Mayur Vihar, where birds are unable to enter people’s homes and make nests. They need gaps in walls, but now people are aghast when they see holes in their walls. Bushes have disappeared. So where will birds make their homes,” he says, of the birds that eat insects and tender plants. “Another worrisome factor is that civil work undertaken in parks has created havoc for birds. So I started making nests.”

He is optimistic that Delhiites will take in the birds, as we’re “big-hearted people,” who once convinced that this is noble work, open their homes to the birds. “This hobby unknowingly brings so much joy into people lives. Initially, volunteers may have reservations, but once they develop a fascination for birds, their passion spreads everywhere. So, more people join in.”

Khatri has conducted 1,600 workshops across the country so far. In his workshops, like the one he conducted at Sunder Nagar nursery over the weekend, he not only explained the importance of biodiversity, but also provided material for children to construct nests to install at home. “Children grasp quickly. They are encouraged to do something once they watch adults too join them.” He has also done workshops at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, G.D. Goenka School, and Delhi Public School, amongst others.

Eco Roots Foundation also conducts workshops on water conservation and climate change for education institutions, group housing societies, and offices. Every nest is used by birds to give birth thrice a year.

Nests are available at naturetune@gmail.com, ₹400