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21-27 Aug, 2012
small world
Sighted
Look, There’s a Peacock in My Balcony
Lhendup G Bhutia

MUMBAI Amrish Puri Chowk in Juhu, Mumbai, houses some of Bollywood’s best-known names. These include, among others, Amitabh Bachchan, the Deols and the family of the late actor after whom the chowk is named. But there is a group of little-known residents here whose presence remains a mystery—Indian peafowl.

Over 30 of these national birds, both male and female, and at least one of them white, have found a home in this populated part of the city. According to locals, a certain Mohammed who lives in an apartment in the area probably brought the birds here. He also owns some exotic parrots. But when approached, he refused to speak about the birds.

The parrots are in large cages in Mohammed’s house. The peacocks hop around roofs, walls and branches of trees. They also explore open spaces in the bungalows around. Often, one sees them on the road. Vijay S Jaiswal, a 44-year-old resident of the area, first noticed around five peafowl some 25 years ago. “No one knew where they came from. They were all there one fine day. People started feeding them and over the years, their numbers increased,” he says.

Researchers are surprised by their presence. Atul Sathe, a researcher and communications manager at Bombay Natural History Society, an NGO engaged in conservation and biodiversity research, says, “Peacocks and peahens are only found in forest areas. Some live close to human habitation, but only when large spaces and forest areas are nearby. To have peacocks bang in the middle of the city is unusual.” Sathe reckons a resident must have brought them as pets—which is illegal—and let them loose. He has also heard of peacock sightings in Girgaum and Malabar Hills, most likely escaped pets.

Residents are not complaining. Bachchan once posted a photo of a peacock in his balcony. Asif Ali, a 27-year-old local, tells another story. A few years ago, when a peacock was atop his roof, a big car stopped. The occupant wanted a closer look at the bird. It was actor Govinda.

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Take Two
In Defence of the Brits
It’s unfair to mock the English for not being good at sports
Akshay Sawai

Which is the No 1 team in Tests and One-day Internationals? England.

Which country has won most titles in Formula One? The UK. Ten British drivers have won the F1 championship 14 times in all.

Which country produced Bradley Wiggins, this year’s Tour de France winner? England.

Which country stood third in the medals tally, after sports superpowers the United States and China, at the London Olympics? Great Britain.

In football, the world’s most popular and greatest sport, England may not have won a World Cup since 1966. But they remain one of only eight countries to have won the competition. And they came close to reaching the final in 1990.

In tennis, yes, the UK has disappointed. But Andy Murray is getting closer every day to winning a major. Yes, he is Scottish not English, but he is British. And if we include Northern Ireland, a part of the UK, in this argument, Rory McIlroy is the winner of the most recent golf major.

For long, England/ Britain/ UK have been mocked for being underachievers in sport. This was a harsh accusation, stemming either from a long held grudge or just because the British were easy targets. 

When the derision came from, say, Australia or the US, it was acceptable. They were sporting superpowers (though Australia finished a lowly 10th in the medals table in London). But it was a bit rich when India also chimed in. With the exception of cricket, there are few major sports in which India can compete with the UK. And yet, touchy legends of Indian sport and thin-skinned Indian media have often vindictively harped on the relative shortcomings of the English, be it their athletes or their media. The English press, for example, is accused of hyperbole and being too critical of the East. This might be true on occasion, but the Indian media is not much better.

The UK, as mentioned above, has not always been as poor at sports as made out to be. Also, the UK has contributed to sport through the great events they founded. Sport is unimaginable without Wimbledon, golf’s British Open, the English cricket season and football’s Premier League, to name a few. Britain’s organisation and performance at the Olympics has a lesson for India. Put your own house in order before criticising those who might not be the best, but are better in many respects.

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Gandhism
Holy Crap

Government schools in Hyderabad are finding it difficult to maintain bathrooms due to a cash crunch. This prompted the Andhra Pradesh Education Secretary Chandana Khan to ask schools to nominate students to do the job. Khan, speaking at a state-level workshop on health and hygiene in government schools, said that just Rs 500 had been allocated per school every month for maintenance. She said that it was imperative that the stakeholders—students and faculty—take some steps to keep the premises clean. There are almost 72,000 government schools in AP—the number of bathrooms is almost 400,000. But most of them cannot be used, their hygiene levels are so poor. “I think students as stakeholders should form groups among themselves to keep the toilets clean,” Khan said. Her suggestion drew angry reactions, especially from parents in urban areas. Khan clarified that her intention was not to trouble students but teach them the importance of sharing responsibility: “If we can clean toilets at our homes, why not at our schools?”

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21-27 Aug, 2012