Hyderabad: It is winter and pigeon lovers are busy participating in pigeon races and high-low flying competitions. The games, popularly known as Kabutarbaazi, are held in the city and suburbs between December and February. A large number of pigeon keepers and breeders gather at designated places in the old areas of the city and participate in one of their favourite sporting activities. The most prominent among pigeon games is pigeon racing, in which the birds are taken a hundred kilometres away from their home and then released. The pigeon that reaches its home first is the winner. “Many pigeon keepers participate in the races. The winner is declared after the umpire calculates the distance and velocity,” said Syed Afsar, who regularly organises the races. Another popular event in the tournament is ‘flock flying’. Two or more pigeon flocks consisting of 25 to 100 pigeons are released at a time by their owners. “In these low and high altitude flying competitions, the rivals try to distract each other’s birds. The flock that brings more birds of the rival flock to its loft is the winner,” said Mohammad Akram, a participant in the race.
Another event is high altitude flying in which the winner is decided after calculating the total flying time of the birds participating on any given day. The prizes at the end of the competitions are mobile phones, LED TVs, sports bicycles, etc. The competitions are mainly held between December and February when the organisers feel the weather is conducive to hold the competition. “More than money, it is fame that matters to the participants,” said a breeder from Hassan Nagar. The sport is practised in Misriganj, Golconda, Jiyaguda, Kulsumpura, Talabkatta, Falaknuma, Shahalibanda, Shaheen Nagar, Bandlaguda and Chanchalguda. Pigeon keepers broadly divide the birds into two categories – those known for their competitive flying ability and those known for their beauty. Homer, popularly called Girbaz, is a breed of pigeons suitable for racing between the ages of eight months and five years. Expensive and fancy pigeons like Fantail, Jacobin, Frill Back Pigeon and Indian Gola are in great demand in the city. The price of a pair of pigeons ranges from Rs 600 to Rs 10,000, which can be even higher depending on the demand and breed. There are about 300 pigeon breeders in the old city of Hyderabad.
