With 8,000 birds, pigeon keeping becomes a way of life for generations in Punjab village

Pigeon keeping and flying have become a passionate hobby in Jagdev Kalan village, where around 100 households collectively care for nearly 8,000 pigeons.

It’s a common sight here to see groups of men releasing their pigeons into the sky and calling them back. This routine reflects a deep-rooted cultural tradition in the village.

Ravinder Singh, a 36-year-old pigeon keeper, says he doesn’t know exactly how old this sport is in his village, but he clearly remembers seeing people from the previous generation keeping pigeons during his childhood. “They used to build small rooms on their rooftops to house the birds,” he recalls.

Having won around 25 prizes in pigeon flying competitions, Ravinder says that pigeons are trained to respond to their master’s voice. One of the most celebrated trick of the sport, he adds, is teaching pigeons to fly out with their own flock and return home with birds from other flocks.

The sight of trained pigeons walking out slowly, flapping their wings and finally soaring into the sky, is mesmerising. Trainers keep a watch on how high the pigeons fly and how long they stay in the air, two main determining criteria for winning prizes in the competitions here.

“My pigeons once flew for 14 hours in a stretch, which won me the competition,” says Ravinder with pride.

Balkar Singh, another pigeon fancier, says the hobby isn’t very expensive. “It costs me only Rs 80 per day to care for my 70 pigeons,” he says. The main challenge, he adds, is keeping the rooftop clean, which requires consistent daily effort and physical work.