If a man happened to come from the distant past into our present era, he would certainly be taken aback by the concrete jungle that has substituted the serene wilderness of the pre-globalization era. The cities and towns shriek the entire day through the noisy vehicles of the roads. So much so, that we have almost forgotten to listen to and enjoy the melodic chirpings of the birds around us. One such bird that has been nearly wiped off from the urban areas is the famous House Sparrow.

House sparrow has always been a very vital part of our civilization. Talking about religion and mythology, Aphrodite is said to have often perched on this bird. In contemporary era, Chairman Mao included them as part of his Four Pests Campaign in 1958, which helped lay the groundwork for China’s Great Famine. House sparrows have long been considered the barometer of human environments. But it is pitiable to find that their population in the last two decades has dipped sharply and unabatedly. The rise in vehicular pollution due to noise or toxic gases, along with soil pollution has said to have contributed the sparrow population to decline by 70% from 1977 to 2008 in UK.

So, who is the one that has to redress all the harm done to our avian companions? Well, it is none other than “us”. Yes, this is time to reflect on the possible measures to help the sparrows. Wondering where to take the first step? Nature Forever Society has come up with its unique initiative called World Sparrow Day, where all are asked to join the bandwagon to celebrate the beauty of the biodiversity along with conveyance of a strong message that of protection and conservation of House Sparrows.

World Sparrow Day has a much broader vision to provide a podium where people who are working on the conservation of the House Sparrow and other common birds can network, collaborate and exchange ideas for conservation, which will lead to improved results. It aims to bring about a confluence of people from different parts of the world and help them form a force that can play a significant role in advocating the need of conserving common biodiversity or species of lower conservation status.

This year, World Sparrow day will be celebrated over a week’s time in Mumbai via a myriad type of events; ranging from a presentation with students at Rachna Sansad College of Applied Art & Craft on 14th March to a conference at Godrej industries in Mumbai. The event will also have interactive activities for people of all ages at Oberoi Mall in Mumbai on the 15th and 16th of March. Besides, Sparrow walks in the Fort area, WSD would also hold organize a workshop on Environmental journalism, emerging media and policy at Press Club, Mumbai. The event will conclude on 20th march with Sparrow awards ceremony at ?Maharashtra Nature Park, Mahim.

If you love Sparrows, lend a helping hand to WSD team. If you also like to engage with people, spread awareness or are good at public speaking and events management, then this is just the right opportunity for you. And you also get a chance to win experience certificates.

Time is running out! Be a part of the one of its kind event.

Earlier post on volunteering details: World sparrow day team invites volunteers year

To volunteer, shoot an email to arpita@natureforever.org with your area of interest, event, skills and contact number.