MANDYA: The pigeon in Bollywood flick ‘Delhi 6 (2009) was quite a rage, as depicted in the film through A R Rahman’s masterful score ‘Masakali’, named after the bird. Or for that matter, the white pigeon ‘Handsome’ in the blockbuster ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ (1989), delivering love letters to smitten souls. Even World War narratives are replete with pigeon tales of valour, with the avians delivering critical communication in times of strife.But here we have a pigeon from Mandya that has flown back home all the way from New Delhi in 52 days – excluding the start and end days of the flight – to win South India’s homing pigeon federation race. In an extraordinary feat of endurance and instinct, this one-year-old male pigeon named Abhimanyu completed its maiden competitive flight over the 1,790-km distance without ever losing track of the aerial route.
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The long-distance homing race was organised by the Karnataka Homing Pigeon Federation, with 22 pigeons in the fray from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. All the birds, fitted with identification rings, were released in Delhi on April 5. Abhimanyu, the youngest in the group and owned by Sridhar of V C Farm in Mandya, completed the journey on May 28.
14 birds managed to return home
Representing the Mandya Homing Pigeon Association, Abhimanyu’s performance is being hailed as a milestone in India’s pigeon racing community.For the record, Abhimanyu was among the 14 avians that managed to return home.Sharing details of the bird’s rigorous training programme, Sridhar told TOI : “We began with short-distance flights — 5 km, 10 km, then 15 km — and gradually went up to 1,000 km. For this race, I entered two pigeons: Abhimanyu and Punyakoti. While Abhimanyu returned on May 28, Punyakoti is still missing.”Sridhar, who has kept Abhimanyu indoors since his return to ensure his safety, said the journey wasn’t easy. “These birds face many dangers during the flight, especially attacks from predatory birds like falcons. The fact that Abhimanyu made it home safely is a testament to his strength and instincts,” he said while sounding a note of optimism about Punyakoti’s return. “There have been cases where pigeons have returned home even after eight years. I still believe Punyakoti will be back.” Buoyed by Abhimanyu’s success and with an eye on an upcoming competition in December, Sridhar is now training 21 pigeons.
