Dodging bullets to save sparrows in strife-torn Manipur

CHURACHANDPUR: Gunfire can erupt without warning where Anish Ahamad lives, on the tense border between Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts in Manipur. Venturing out here is always risky as you can easily get caught in a crossfire between conflicting parties.

Yet as the monsoon season approaches, Anish is on the move again, carrying handmade sparrow nests, knocking on doors, and trying to keep a fragile conservation mission alive in a landscape shaped as much by fear as by weather.


Anish, an environmentalist from Kwakta village, has turned the weeks before the rains into the busiest stretch of his year. Gusty winds and heavy rain can undo months of nesting, so he focuses on preparation — showing families where to place nests and how to secure them before the weather turns. It is the annual rhythm of his “Save Sparrow” mission, now in its seventh year, and it has grown into a rare, steady conservation effort in a region where daily life is often shaped by uncertainty.

The numbers tell part of the story. Ahamad has installed more than 600 sparrow nests and distributed nearly 300 free of cost, helping local sparrow populations rise by 4,000–5,000 annually. He ties that urgency to the bird’s breeding cycle. “House sparrows have an extensive breeding season from March to Sept. They are prolific breeders, capable of producing two to four, sometimes five broods per year,” he explained, adding that a nest can be made for less than ₹5.

But the work is not unfolding in calm conditions. Since 2023, Manipur’s ethnic conflict has repeatedly disrupted his conservation routine. For Ahamad, a Meitei Pangal (Muslim), the mission has meant navigating not only indifference and financial strain, but also the immediate risks of living near a volatile border area.

He remembers days when stepping outside was not an option. “Due to the unfortunate incidents, I had to stay indoors without venturing out to work for a week. At certain points, I needed to move out to other places for safety, and in the process my activities were hampered and could not be taken forward,” he said.

From his home near the border between Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, the danger can be sudden. “The conflicting parties frequently engaged in fierce gun battles at any point of time. Living in the border between Churachandpur and Bishnupur district, we used to get caught in the crossfire if we ventured out carelessly.”

“Under such circumstances, it was very hard to keep on doing my activities smoothly in looking after the birds under my care,” he added.

Even recognition has not translated into support. Ahamad received the State Wildlife Incentive Award in 2022 and 2023, yet he says he has carried out most of his work alone, without govt backing and with limited financial means. “The love of environment and passion for wildlife conservation made me unstoppable,” he said, while also pointing to the frustration of being overlooked by authorities.

In some homes, he still meets skepticism — questions about why sparrows should matter when livelihoods are under pressure. Yet the same villages that once doubted him are increasingly calling him for help, asking him to install nests and guide them through the process.

His work extends far beyond sparrows. Over the years, Ahamad has handed over more than 35 wildlife species to the state forest department, planted 2 lakh saplings, and distributed 50,000 free saplings.

The mission began as a personal promise, rooted in nostalgia and in memory of his late father Abdul Ajij. Now, as monsoon clouds gather again over Manipur’s valleys, it returns as a public act — one man’s insistence that coexistence is not a slogan, but a daily practice, carried out even when conservation collides with conflict and economic reality.