Government of India- 2360 views
KABUTAR-BAAZI
In the days of old pigeons were the most reliable messengers. Given the need for fast communication on a regular basis, the rulers realized that sending messages via pigeons was the safest and most secure way. Over time, the role of pigeons changed from being mere messengers, and they were soon also used for sport. Interestingly, the modern-day pigeon racing sport (kabutar-baazi) has a long history and became famous during the Mughal rule.
The pigeons in flight (Old Delhi)
The pigeon-keeper with his birds
The Mughal Emperor Babur’s memoir, Tuzk-e-Babri, refers to this sport numerous times. When Shahjahan moved the capital from Agra to Delhi, the pigeon racing began in Old Delhi, which was then called Shahjahanabad. For a layman watching the sport for the first time, kabutar-baazi may seem like a group of men setting their pigeons free and calling them back. However, the sport is more than that. The sport is about training the pigeons to fly from their coops and return home with pigeons from other flocks. The pigeons are taught to respond to their master’s voice. The pigeon coops called ‘kaabuk’ are built on the roofs of the masters’ houses with great care and affection. Like any other skilled group, pigeon keepers too follow an elaborate hierarchy. Ustads are the senior-most, followed by the khaleefas, and then the shahgirdhs. Lavish feasts are thrown for the entire biraadari (community) of pigeon keepers when one of them completes his apprenticeship and finally becomes a shahgirdh. Each ustad has a disciple known as a shahgirdh, who, in due course gets elevated to the position of an ustad. For an ustad to be challenged in a game, the contender has to first compete with and defeat the khaleefa before he can compete with the ustad. Often, the title of ustad is passed down the generation from father to son. However, the passing of the title is not just restricted to blood relations. In order to be declared as an ustad, the pigeon keeper has to acquire the skills and experience of the shahgirdh. The elevation of a shahgirdh to the status of an ustad is a joyous occasion, marked by the tying of a turban on the head of the new ustad.
Kabutar-baazi is a sport that involves two teams and their set of birds. The game usually lasts for 30 minutes, and the participating pigeons are well-trained in following their masters’ verbal instructions. The owners bathe their pigeons in scented water and tie small bands on their thin legs, so as to make it easy to differentiate one pigeon from another. To monitor the race, three sets of umpires are stationed at different positions – one pair is positioned at the starting point, another in the middle, and the last one at the finishing point. Usually, the umpire, traditionally known as the munsif, is an experienced player with sharp sight, a necessity, as he needs to keep an eye on the distance travelled by each flock of pigeons. He also takes note of which group makes it back in time and which flock followed their masters’ voice without getting distracted. Based on these three factors, a kabutar-baaz is declared a winner. The victory is celebrated, with the winner throwing a traditional dinner for the entire community of Pigeon keepers.
The ustad with his flock
A practice round (before the actual race at Jama Masjid)
When a pigeon from one group joins the other group, the original owner loses the right to that pigeon. For the owner to get his pigeon back, he has to pay an appropriate amount as per the breed and skills of that pigeon. Even after that, there is no guarantee that the pigeon will not join the new group.
Though kabutar-baazi was a favourite pastime of the Nawabs from the Mughal era and a sport of dignity, pride, and honour in North India, today, it is not continued or practised with the same fervour as it used to be in the glorious days of the past.
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