For 45 days, a nondescript village in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district went dark without streetlights, setting a new example for kindness.
Potthakudi, a village with 120 houses, switched off all 35 streetlights in the hamlet to save the hatchlings of an Indian Robin which built its nest in the main switchboard.
The villagers also disconnected power connection from the switchboard to the streetlights to ensure that the bird and its hatchlings do not suffer in any manner. As the bird and its hatchlings left their nest on Saturday, the village got its streetlights back on Sunday after 45 long days.
The kindness displayed by the villagers towards a bird and its hatchlings has won over the internet and animal lovers who have been lavishing praise on the people who made this happen.
Karuppu Raja, who has been switching on the streetlights at 6 pm every day for over a decade as the switchboard is installed close to his home, was the first to notice the nest that was built by the Indian Robin. A diploma holder, Raja returned to his native village from Singapore, where he was working, in January.
A bird lover from his childhood, Raja took pictures and videos of the nest inside the switchboard and shared it on the village WhatsApp group seeking opinion of the villagers on how to save the bird and its hatchlings.
“I wrote on WhatsApp that switching off the lights was the only solution because the bird will fly once it realises there is a human touch or contact near its nest. I also told the group that we should save the bird and its hatchlings at any cost,” Raja told DH.
Though some people opposed the move saying switch off street lights would cause inconvenience to those villagers, especially women, stepping out in the evening, Raja said majority of the people agreed to his suggestion.
“I explained to women and children that so many bird species have become extinct and we should not let Indian Robin go the same way. Women were very cooperative and agreed to the suggestion of switching off the street lights. We also cut off the power supply to ensure nothing happens to the nest,” Raja added.
Raja clicked pictures and videos of the Indian Robin and its hatchlings every day and posted them on the WhatsApp group to apprise people on the condition of the bird. That Raja’s father is the president of the gram panchayat also helped him in switching off the street lights.
“After 45 days, the Indian Robbin and its hatchlings left their nest. Since Sunday, the lights have been switched on. We are happy that our village could set an example on kindness,” Raja added.