World Sparrow Day celebrated at BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
The World Sparrow Day was celebrated at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Pilani Campus on 20th March, 2018. The house sparrows are important determinants of a healthy ecosystem as they eat harmful insects and are efficient pollinators. The declining population of house sparrows, mainly as a result of habitat destruction and pollution, is a matter of concern the world over. To spread awareness about conservation of these small and friendly birds, the first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010, as a result of an international initiative by Mr. Mohammed Dilawar of the Nature Forever Society, India. This year the theme of the occasion was ‘I love sparrows’. The present event at BITS, Pilani campus was organized by the Peacock Restoration Team, led by Prof. Sangeeta Sharma, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, with support from BITSAA International under Rauf Ali Memorial Project, and encouragement from Prof. Ashoke Kumar Sarkar, Director, BITS, Pilani – Pilani Campus. The event was attended by both children and adults, of which around thirty children, from 1st to 10th standards, presented creative performances and enthusiastically participated in various activities. Performances included poetry recitation, skit, songs and dance. Some children had also drawn posters that informed about the importance of sparrows. The activities included hop-a-thon game, identifying birds by their sounds, and a short story competition. A photograph booklet prepared by Ms. Samakshi Tiwari, M.Sc. Biological Sciences student, capturing the bird diversity at BITS Pilani campus, was also displayed on this occasion. The event concluded with a bird origami workshop by Mr. Swapnil Bhure, ME student at BITS. Gifts and prizes, which included Amar Chitra Katha books about Dr. Salim Ali, the birdman of India, and earthen nest boxes for sparrows, were distributed to children by Mrs. Rakhi Sarkar and Mrs. Nirmal Bhataiya. Overall coordination was done by Dr. Sandhya Marathe and Dr. Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Assistant Professors, Biological Sciences Department, Dr. Sushil Yadav, veterinary doctor, and a team of undergraduate and postgraduate students of BITS (Mr. Anuj, Ms. Harshita, Ms. Madiha, Mr. Bharadwaj), and former staff, Mr. Jeetaram; with support from Dr. Amol Marathe, Asistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department.