An im-peck-able guide

Indian roller, the great Indian hornbill, spot-billed duck, rose-ringed parakeet, Indian paradise flycatcher, common myna and brown pelican

On a Monday morning, you hear some chirping. So, you step out of your home, gaze at the sky and look at a pair of majestic wings go by. It's perhaps, a scene straight out of a children's book or a vacation. Because truth be told, most of us would rather take a minute to hit the like button on pictures of birds on Instagram than spend time observing them. That's a habit Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond (Red Panda, Westland), hopes to change.

Indian robin

The activity book, conceptualised by World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF India), has been authored by Arthy Muthanna Singh, Mamta Nainy and Kaustubh Srikanth coupled with eye-catching illustrations by Annirudha Mukherjee. The book "about our fine feathered friends, who help make our Earth, one big, chirpy nest," launches today as part of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Even though the content extends to 100 pages, it is comprehensive - the topics range from the origin and features of birds, birdwatching and its dos and don'ts, bird behaviour and habitats. It includes activity sheets where kids can fill in details that reflect their learning progress.

Baya weaver and its nest

"The idea was to put together an interactive guide for those uninitiated in birding. We started a year ago by chalking out contents, starting with information that is easy to digest and moving on to the serious stuff," Nainy states. Although the book is primarily for children, it appeals to adults, too. Thus, the language and tone used had to be paid attention to. As there is no end to the depths one can delve into with this subject, topics had to be narrowed down to what information can be of practical use to a child such as to avoid baiting birds by feeding them. Singh explains, "That's why we have the character of Binee the bird nerd to take readers on this birding journey. We didn't want too keep it textbook-ish and too technical."

Singh also adds that the fact that the title comes fully-illustrated is a big deal considering books on this subject usually comprise photographs. The challenge for Mukherjee, the artist, was to mimic reality while still maintaining a distinctive illustrative style. "The goal was that after a reader is done with the book, they should be able to recognise the avian life that they come across. And for context, I also had to get the habitat right," he says.

Binee the Bird Nerd

The book is pegged around WWF India's Nature Explorers programme that strives to build a network of bird enthusiasts in the age group of seven to 14 years. "We want the kids to become cool conservationists. And I say 'cool' because with global warming, there's too much heat all around us," Srikanth quips. At the launch, the 27-year-old senior programming officer at the conservation organisation will demonstrate how to identify birds through their call. And while talking about observation, he says, it's also time for adults to learn from children. "You can't observe nature if you don't have fun like a child when you're at it."

Mamta Nainy and Arthy Muthanna Singh

Kaustubh Srikanth and Aniruddha Mukherjee

On Today, 5 pm to 8 pm
At Kitab Khana, Somaiya Bhavan, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort.
Email tamrita@amazon.com (to RSVP)
Free

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