Meet Chennai's 'birdman'

C Sekar, who has been feeding parakeets for 15 years at his rented house in Triplicane, faces eviction from his landlord. Is this the end of the road for his birds?

“We’re not leaving,” says six-year-old Jennica Prathap. She’s the granddaughter of C Sekar, who has been feeding parakeets at his rented house on Pycrofts Road, Triplicane, for 15 years. Prathap has no idea that her grandfather has been asked to move out by his landlord. She watches him scoop soaked rice grains onto wooden planks for the parakeets — something she’s been doing ever since she was a baby. “They’ll be here soon,” says Sekar, placing a handful after handful of the grains in little mounds on planks he places between the walls of his small terrace.