Chennai: In one of the opening scenes of the Tamil film ‘Meiyazhagan', actor Arvind Swamy, dressed in a white tee, is seen spreading rice on wooden planks placed on his terrace. In an instant, the scene goes green as a flock of parrots swoops in to feast.
The moment was inspired by businessman A M V Sudarson Sah and his wife Vithya from Chintadripet, who for the past 15 years, have been feeding 6,000 parakeets daily, with 60kg of rice. Little has changed at their home since the film's release in Sept — except they now contend with a swarm of birdwatchers flocking to their terrace alongside the parakeets.
"We've got birdwatchers flying in from the US and Japan," says Sah. "We've limited visitors to 25 a day to avoid scaring the parrots."
The Sahs begin their routine at 4.30am, soaking rice for an hour and preparing the groundnuts. The upside of so many visitors, says Sah, is that they come bearing gifts for the birds such as peanuts. "It costs us 3,000 a day," says Sah. "We accept raw peanuts. But some bring roasted peanuts and brown rice, but those aren't good for the birds."
Vithya says that besides the new visitors, people who are unwell come to their terrace to unwind. "They say watching the birds is relaxing. College students come to watch the feeding."
Sah's bird-feeding journey began after his father's passing when he saw an elderly woman feeding crows on a terrace. "Over time, the numbers increased." From two wooden plans Sah now has 35 to accommodate the birds. "In January, I get 10,000 parrots a day. Most other months it is about half that," he says.
The couple also care for 150 goats, 50 cats and many street dogs. Inspired, their neighbours have started feeding birds. "I feed pigeons and squirrels by placing wheat and boiled rice on my terrace. It's peaceful to see them gather," says V K Balasubramani, who lives in the area.