Meet Delhi’s ‘Nest man’ who is building homes for hundreds of birds
As birds began coming, Rakesh Khatri set up over 20 such nests in his locality in Ashok Vihar.
“The blessed feeling of being able to give a home to someone cannot be possibly expressed in words”- this is how Rakesh Khatri describes his initiative of providing homes to hundreds of birds. Khatri, a resident of Delhi, started his journey of saving birds in the city by building them houses from eco-friendly materials. His thoughtful gesture bore fruit as his eco-friendly bird houses received much appreciation from people and brought him many accolades and recognition.
It all started when Khatri noticed that his home in old Delhi was missing the constant chirping birds. “Our elders in Purani Dilli used to warn us to not switch on the fan as the birds nested in the high corners or sky lights in the room may get injured. So, I grew up caring for them. Now I stay in Ashok 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,” Khatri told Life Beyond Numbers.
So he decided to build some. His journey of creating houses for birds wasn't easy. Khatri’s first attempt with coconut shells failed as no bird came to make those their home. Instead of giving up, Khatri continued to experiment with materials suitable for birds and narrowed them down to bamboo sticks, jute thread, and husk. As birds began coming, he set up over 20 such nests in his locality in Ashok Vihar.
Now, Khatri has a record of making over 1.25 lakh nests for birds all over India. Other than this, he was also felicitated with a record in the Limca Book of Records for the highest number of workshops conducted to teach participants how to make handmade nests throughout the country.
He now runs an organisation called the Eco Roots Foundation that conducts workshops all around the country.
