00:03In the heart of India's capital, a handful of men are keeping alive the ancient Mughal tradition
00:09of pigeon-rearing, training birds to navigate long distances and passing the skill on to the
00:15next generation. Kabutabazi, as the tradition is known, comes from the Hindi and Urdu word for
00:22pigeon. It was patronised by Mughal kings who ruled India when men kept flocks, taught them
00:28to fly in formation and used them as messengers.
00:44Training the birds takes nearly four months, the trainers said. It involves beating a whip
00:49against a hard surface, the loud sounds scaring the birds into flying farther out before they
00:55learn to fly straight against the wind and return over long distances.
00:59First of all, we need to take a new whip. After taking a new whip, we put a net here
01:09so that
01:10we can bring it in and recognize the whip. Because it is very clear, we can recognize the whip.
01:26Despite rapid urbanisation, pigeons circling above New Delhi's rooftops remain a constant.
01:33And for the men who keep them, the tradition is deeply personal.
Comments