MEET THE BIRDMAN OF CHENNAI

In India, there are several people who have tended to exotic birds and have attracted thousands on a daily basis.

One of those individuals is Joseph Sekar, a Camera Mechanic who lives in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.

Chennai is considered an extraordinary tourist attraction, and is considered a ‘must visit’ location should you find yourself in India.

Joseph Sekar is a resident who has taken upon himself the incredible responsibility in feeding thousands of parakeets!

Here’s how it all started,

Way back in 2004, Tsunami hit the coastal areas of TamilNadu causing humongous damage to life and Property.

Sekar discovered two ring-necked parakeets on his doorstep and fed them.

They returned on a daily basis and eventually were bringing their friends to be fed.

First ten, then fifty, and then a hundred became friendly for the food and water offered.

Over time, Sekar found himself feeding thousands of arriving parakeets.

Sekar discloses that he spends around Rs 1,000 for 30 kilos of rice just for his little green friends each day and spends close to 40 percent of his income on feeding them.

If he earns well on a particular day, the birds are treated with guava or American corn.

Using his terrace as a feeding place, he constructed wooden planks upon which he placed the mounds of rice.

He would supply the food both morning and evening.

Soon, the “Birdman of Chennai” gained notoriety as the man who cared for the birds.

In 2015, Chennai would be hit with floods that damaged the city far worse than the tsunami did a decade earlier.

Because of this, Sekar found the arriving bird population to have risen dramatically.

It is said that over 5 thousand arrived daily for feeding.

Sekar’s house was filled with water and still he found a way to feed his adopted fleet of parakeets.

He would meticulously clean the terrace after each feeding to avoid rice waste from dropped grains.

Sekar says that he might miss his meal, but his parrots never have to return with an empty stomach.

"It's all love," says Sekar!

Spreading love and kindness keeps Sekar happy and that's his message to everyone.