A man for all pigeons

KOCHI: The air is filled with excitement at noon at the Jain temple in Mattancherry. Suddenly, a loud voice calls out; “Chalo...! Chalo...!” (Come on! Come on!) Soon, the sky darkens as hundreds of pigeons that had been waiting on the temple parapet take flight and follow the caller to the temple courtyard.As the birds alight, Prafulbhai V Shah, the man who has been feeding them everyday for 22 years, scatters the grain on the courtyard of the Jain Shwetamber Murtipujak Sangh. He begins to chant the ‘Jain Manglik’ prayer before the birds begin their feast. Two children are called out and asked to hold out the grains while the prayer is chanted. The birds listen patiently, and once the prayer is over, they all flock around Prafulbhai as he empties the bag of mixed grains.“According to Jain belief, the act of feeding birds and taking care of them is a noble deed. As a Jain Bhai, I believe in practising such acts of virtue. When I go out of town, I entrust someone else with the ritual so that my beloved birds do not go hungry,” he says.The feeding ritual starts at 12.15 pm every day. Of the 20 or so kilos of grain that goes into feeding the birds daily, Prafulbhai contributes nearly 5 kilos. The rest is given by the temple authorities. The feast is a mixture of grains including rice, Bengal gram and whole wheat. “They love Bengal gram the most,” says a beaming Prafulbhai as the birds busy themselves in filling their tummies.