Pigeons too have the sports spirit

by hussain | November 23, 2008 at 01:07 am

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Once pigeons were used for delivery of mail but with the advancement in spheres of life, this job has been taken over various modern technologies but pigeons remained a favourite pet in various parts of Pakistan at least. There are many people who are fond of having pigeons at their rooftops in various major cities and towns of the country while in the rural areas the creature is either kept in especially built small rooms or crators especially dug for the purpose. However, all of them have different interest in pigeons. If someone trains them in prolonged flight, some others train them fluttering for prolonged durations.

Every living thing whether it is a bird or beast possesses distinctive qualities, mastery of tricks and sports spirit. Similarly pigeons that are pet birds play a unique game by taking part in a not commonly known: Fluttering of pigeons. In this a pigeons flutters his wings while remaining static at a place in the air. This is supposed to be very hard and difficult sport but people do teach their pigeons to exhibit such endurance.

People usually bring pigeons from other cities to Rawalpindi to enjoy this game. Around 50 pigeons participate in the game, which starts at daytime. Some pigeons get tired soon and leave the competition within six to seven. They either sit on a nearby tree or electric wires or fall down on the ground however they prefer to stay near the game and enjoy it. The pigeons that remain in the competition till last are considered victorious.

The game presents a natural and beautiful scene, which is liked by all and sundry, especially those who keep pet pigeons in their houses. The owners of winner pigeons not only get applause from the audience but also rewards on the occasion. However they do not prefer betting.

A pigeon namely ‘Mastana’ continued fluttering in the air for over 19 minutes in the game near Hayalan, a slum of Rawalpindi, and was adjudged victorious. With the passage of time almost all the pigeons left the game circle but ‘Mastana’ stood till last. Hundreds of audience including children watching the game were clapping on this tough competition and greeted the owner of ‘Mastana.’ They offered money to the owner of the pigeon to encourage him.

The owner of ‘Mastana’, Ahsen Nadeem Butt hailing from Sialkot told ‘The News’ that his pigeon won many pigeons’ related games including fluttering in the air. “I visited many cities including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Jhang, Peshawar and Rawalpindi where ‘Mastana’ won the games,” he added.

Butt said that he hates betting and only shows the performance of his pigeon that could flutter

in the air for around 30 minutes. Pigeons of good quality are available in Sialkot and Faisalabad, he added.

He said that pigeons start fighting during the game. Sometimes they do not come back for three to four days when they fly away during competitions, he said.