The Little Birdwatcher of Nalsarovar
7/28/20261 min read
We went to Nalsarovar, a small village near Ahmedabad, for a morning of birdwatching.
It was an early July morning, and we were walking along the village roads, our eyes constantly scanning every tree branch and the surrounding fields. Every movement in the foliage made us stop and look.
Then I noticed a little girl following us.
She was doing exactly what we were doing—looking up at the trees, searching for birds.
I asked her name.
“Tashita,” she replied in her sweet Gujarati accent. She was in Class 5.
“Do you know what we are looking for?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said confidently. “You are looking for birds. Come to my house. I can show you many.”
So, I decided to follow her.
As we approached her house, she suddenly pointed excitedly towards an electric pole. It was covered with pigeons.
My first thought was, “Pigeons? Really? We have come all the way to Nalsarovar to photograph pigeons?”
But then I looked at Tashita.
She had promised to show me many birds.
And she had kept her promise.
A little later, my team called me back. I told Tashita I had to leave.
But she followed me—barefoot, across the roads and paddy fields. She didn't even know exactly which bird we were searching for. Yet her face was full of curiosity.
Perhaps she was more interested in us than in the birds.
When it was finally time to leave, she made one last request.
“Come to my house. I want to show you my parrot book.”
I promised her I would come next time.
She believed me.
And that is what makes me smile—and feel just a little guilty—every time I look at our selfie.
We went to Nalsarovar looking for birds.
We found a little birdwatcher instead.
And somehow, she became the most memorable sighting of that morning.
