Meet Aman Sharma, A Delhi Boy Spreading Environmental Awareness Through Birdwatching

In the early days of lockdown, a lot of Delhi residents were pleasantly surprised to hear birds chirping outside their windows and in the garden.

As nature was recovering due to the reduction of human activity, a lot more birds were seen in Delhi, or in other words, they became more visible.

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That is because Delhi has a wast variety of birds, who for a long time had become invisible due to the hustle and bustle of the city.

So, for a lot of people, especially the young generation, it was a new experience, to see and hear so many birds around them.

But, it was not for 18-year-old Aman Sharma, an environmentalist.

Aman Sharma

When he is not at school or fighting for the environment, Sharma would be busy birdwatching.

Busy birdwatching

"One day my mom told me that there was a bulbul's nest on our balcony. I went up there and saw the nest, it had three cute eggs. I had never before interacted with another species at such close. I used to spent my days observing the bird and its nest. I also spotted 10-15 other species of birds from there. But when I asked my mother, she had no idea about them, same was with my science teacher. I felt that odd, and that made me curious about birds," Sharma said explaining how he was introduced to birds.

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Sharma said his obsession reached a point where during the weekends when his friends and family would be attending parties, he would skip those and go to Sultanpur to see birds.

Co-founded a birding club for children called 'Cuckoo About Nature club'

Since then he co-founded a birding club for children called 'Cuckoo About Nature club' which aims to create environmental awareness among them.

"The best way to create environmental awareness among children is to introduce them to nature. Make them create a bond with nature and love it. And that is what we are trying to do by encouraging them to become bird watchers," Sharma said.

Aman Sharma

The 18-year-old said he is proud of the work the Cuckoo About Nature club has managed to do so far and by making many more young people aware of the birds and butterflies around them, who are now sharing their knowledge with those around them.

Lockdown helped Delhiites watch birds

He also felt that the lockdown has helped a lot more Delhiites see and feel the birds and other creatures around them.

"The lockdown started at the beginning of the nesting season for a lot of birds in Delhi. As people who would otherwise be busy with their daily lives got stuck inside their homes started observing a lot more that is happening around them. They started seeing and hearing birds outside their balconies. This was also a welcome relief for people amid all the tensions about COVID-19," he said.

Aman Sharma

He also felt that the newfound awareness among people will help them becoming more environmentally concerned citizens.

"This will definitely have a positive impact on the outlook of people about nature and other inhabitants that share this earth with us. But unless that transforms into positive action, there will not be much change in the long-term impact of this. People tend to become passionate about something, but then they move on, this should not happen in environmental issues," he said.