11th Udaipur Bird Festival Inaugurated

Udaipur: The 11th edition of the Udaipur Bird Festival, organized by the Forest Department, was inaugurated on Friday at the Golden Park in the Kalka Mata Nursery complex on Sisarma Road, with Udaipur Lok Sabha MP Dr. Mannalal Rawat as the chief guest. The three-day Bird Festival kicked off with bird watching, painting, and quiz competitions for school children. The festival also featured the opening of a bird-themed photography and stamp exhibition at the Information Center. In the afternoon, a Nature Literary Festival and Conference were held at the OTS complex, where renowned ornithologists and environmental experts from across the country participated.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, MP Dr. Mannalal Rawat said that bird and environmental conservation have always been a part of Indian folk life. He shared a common saying in rural areas where elders advise not to throw cut nails around, as birds might mistake them for rice and consume them, leading to their death. Such examples of conservation can be found throughout Indian culture. Dr. Rawat emphasized the importance of events like the Bird Festival for educating the youth and suggested expanding the scope of such programs. He also urged for the publication of awareness materials on bird and environmental conservation in Hindi, English, and Mewari.

Udaipur City MLA Shri Tarachand Jain mentioned that events like the Bird Festival have raised public awareness, and people have become more cautious about bird and environmental conservation. MLA Jain also read out a congratulatory message from Honorable Chief Minister Shri Bhajanlal Sharma for the Udaipur Bird Festival 2025.

The inauguration was also addressed by Ravi Singh, CEO of WWF India. The program was attended by Additional District Collector (Administration) Deependra Singh Rathore, renowned ornithologist and former Director of the Bombay Natural History Society Asad R. Rahmani, BNHS members Rajat Bhargava and Anand Banerjee, retired IAS officer Vikram Singh, retired Forest Officer R.K. Singh, IPS officers Matharu, Rajpal Singh, and National Tiger Conservation Authority member Rahul Bhatnagar.

At the beginning of the event, the Chief Wildlife Conservator (Wildlife) S.R.V. Moorthy, Chief Conservator of Forests Sunil Chhidri, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) D.K. Tiwari, Deputy Conservator Mukesh Saini, Deputy Conservator (North) Ajay Chittora, and others welcomed the guests. During the event, the Udaipur Bird Festival souvenir and a booklet containing information about birds were also released. Chief Guest MP Dr. Rawat also inaugurated the festival by releasing parrots that had been found injured and rehabilitated.

**Bird Watching and Fun for Kids**

Bird watching was arranged at the back of Lake Pichola as part of the Bird Festival. Ornithology experts helped children spot birds using binoculars and shared information about them. The sight of birds playing in the shallow waters of the lake brought smiles to the children’s faces. At the event, kids also got bird tattoos painted on their faces and arms using natural colors.

**Enthusiasm in Competitions**

After the inauguration, painting and quiz competitions were held in senior and junior groups. Children from various schools in the city and surrounding areas participated enthusiastically. They used brushes and colors to bring the beautiful world of birds to life on drawing sheets. The quiz competition also tested their knowledge on birds and environmental topics.

**Excitement for the Bird Exhibition**

In the afternoon, the photography and stamp exhibition focused on birds was inaugurated at the Information Center. The exhibition was inaugurated by retired Chief Wildlife Conservator Rahul Bhatnagar, WWF CEO Ravi Singh, ornithologist Asad Rahmani, and Vikram Singh. The exhibition featured bird photos clicked by various ornithologists, and a special attraction was the collection of over 354 bird-themed stamps from around the world, curated by Udaipur’s stamp collector Pushpa Khamsera. UNICEF’s Sindhu Binujit and several other ornithologists and departmental officials were also present at the event.