Indian songbird fights return after cruelty ban overturned

AFP | Hajo                                                         

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Squawking and screeching, tiny songbirds flutter around a fighting ring in a centuries-old Indian tradition decried by some as cruel but returning after an eight-year ban was overturned.

The red-vented bulbuls are cheered on by a packed crowd, with chanting spectators encouraging them to peck each other with their hooked beaks to win their freedom. Bird fights at the Haigriva Madhav temple in Hajo in northeast India’s Assam state returned on Monday, after a ban was scrapped because Hindu priests argued it was part of their tradition.

“We have seen the birds fight since our childhood... the ritual of bird fight is very close to the people,” said Kichin Das, one of three judges who decides the winner based on the moves of the birds. Supporters say the battles began after an 18th-century king saw two birds fighting, and it became a popular pastime to mark the harvest festival in January.

“This is a game from the era of kings,” said bird fighter Biswajit Biswasi, 49. “Since childhood, I have learned how to catch these birds and how to train them.” Traditionally, captured wild birds were goaded to fight through hunger before being fed an intoxicating spice mix -- reportedly including cannabis, pepper, cinnamon and cloves.

“It’s a short game,” said Babul Mazumdar, who has captured birds to fight for 30 years. “Whichever bird overpowers the other in, say three to four moves, is declared the winner.”