Why the caged birds sing…

This little bird flap its wings,
Flaps its wings, flaps its wings,
This little bird flaps its wings,
And flies away in the morning
                           
                                        -Sarah Williams

An old nursery rhyme goes like this. But here in Hyderabad, our little birds do not fly in the mornings, flapping their wings. You must be wondering where all the birds are, then. Well, walk into Kabootar Khana near the historic Charminar and you will find them aplenty, all in cages, though.
Bird lovers are flocking the city of Nizams, who were said to be ardent bird lovers. As is the king, so are the subjects, they say. And proving this adage true, Hyderabadis too are known for their love of birds.
In an ever expanding metro, where concrete jungles drove away winged beauties from their abodes, finding a bird is a tough task, but Kabootar Khhana has many of them. Birds of all kinds, hues and sizes…
Kabootar Khana is also known as Mahabub Chowk or Bird Market. It has become popular worldwide for stocking and breeding unique foreign birds. You get all breeds of birds expect the banned ones right from a pair of Indian Black Crow that is sold for Rs 40 to a pair of Australian breed Rose Breasted Cockatoo that costs a whopping Rs 6 lakh!
“A pair of African Grey Parrot that costs Rs 60,000 needs a minimum space of two rooms with wooden trunk and plantation. Then only they breed,’’ Abdul Fasiuddin, one of the bird breeder said.
You can also buy trained mynas that can talk. The strange thing is the myna also abuses you if you do not respect it. “This taking myna costs you Rs 20,000 and a businessman from Vijayawada has already booked it,’’ Moin, owner of a bird shop, said.    
“The White Faced African Ratino and Australian breed Rose Breasted Cockatoo are on high demand as the breed is rare and adoptable to the Indian climate,” Shaik Afsar, owner of another bird shop at Chowk, said.
This market has 15-20 shops. You may be surprised to learn that more than 300 families in Hyderabad depend on bird breeding. The bird breeders in the Chowk have direct contact with the breeders in other states. They collect the best breeds and sell them to breeders in Delhi from where they are exported to the foreign breeders.
Other birds available are Jocobin Yellow, Archangel, Voorburg Cropper, Macaws, Rainbow Lory, Golden Peasent and Cocktails.
“Turkey fowl sells for Rs.200 a pair, and is known for its graceful dance by spreading its feathers just like peacock,” Basith, another bird seller, said.
“I get excited to watch these lovebirds,” said Aziz, a VIIth class student from Tolichowki. “My daughter is very much interested in listening to their voices and playing with lovebirds after school hours at home,” Anita Said, the mother of a six year old girl from Jubilee Hills, said.
But animal rights activists are not so pleased to see this mute creatures being caged and sold. Vasanthi Vadi, Secretary of People for Animals (PFA) says, “Birds are not happy in cages.” PFA is a voluntary organization working for animal welfare and animal rights. “Animals have the right to lead a painless and happy life,” She said. “We request all people who love animals and believe it is the duty of every human being to protect our animal friends to join us in our endeavor,” Vasanthi told this correspondent.