PAWS-Mumbai | Sparrow Fest | World Sparrow Day - India | Sparrow Friend Award Nomination Form

ISSUED BY
 
Nisha Subramanian Kunju

Co-ordinator

World Sparrow Day - India

An initiative by :

Plant & Animals Welfare Society - Mumbai's

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 
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sparrowconservationmission@gmail.com

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At five, this nature lover rescues birds

Afternoon Despatch & Courier . Tuesday, March 29, 2011

At five, this nature lover rescues birds

By Adnan Attarwala

For five-year-old Hitesh Yadav rescuing a bird in distress is all about loving nature and wildlife. The youngest volunteer of the NGO Plant & Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) recently won the ‘Sparrow Friend Award 2011’, given to him by Governor K. Sankaranarayanan.

Hitesh, a senior KG student of NES Sunbeam School, has also won the ‘Robinage Bright Sparks Scholarship’ in 2009 and the ‘Outstanding Student award for being an Animal activist’ in 2010.

All it took him to win the latest award was to save two baby sparrows, which had fallen out of their nest into a drain. “A cat was about to eat them up. I quickly picked the baby birds up and got it to tuition (PAWS),” he innocently explains.

According to Sunish Subramanian of PAWS, Hitesh stays very close to the NGO and would accompany the volunteers for rescuing animals since the age of one. This was thanks to his uncle Chandramani Yadav, who volunteered for PAWS.

“His visit to the NGO made him aware and interested since a very young age. Every time we would go rescue any bird, he would watch with keen interest,” Sunish stated. Hitesh has contributed a lot to save wildlife and, in the past, has rescued turtles, pigeons, kites, and even owls. His uncle Chandramani revealed, “I cannot tell you how happy nature and birds make him. Even while surfing the net he only browses for birds and animals and, even while on his way to school, he keeps on looking out for birds.” 

Helping the chirp stay alive : DNA Ya! Pune's Whiz Kids

PRESS Coverage . DNA Ya! Pune's Whiz Kids 

Pune . Sunday, April 3, 2011 . Page 24

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Helping the chirp stay alive : DNA Ya! Mumbai

DNA Ya! Feature Story

Helping the chirp stay alive

World Sparrow Day was celebrated on March 20 with a lot of zest all across the country. On this day, a five-years-old ya!ster was awarded the “Sparrow Friend Award 2011: by Governor of Maharashtra- Shri K Sankaranarayanan at Raj Bhavan. Priyanka Talreja interviewed this little fellow and found out his story

Hitesh Yadav (5) is studying in SrKg of NESS Sunseam School in Bhandup. At this young age Yadav had already won Outstanding Student Award for being an Animal Activists by his school. He is also the youngest volunteer of the NGO PAWS-Mumbai.

When we asked Hitesh, what did he do to win this award he said “I save two baby sparrows. The baby sparrows had fallen out of their nest into a drain. And a cat was about to eat them up. I quickly picked the baby birds up and got it to tuition (PAWS).” After learning that we asked Hitesh how did he feel to be the proud owner of the award? To which giggled and said “I felt great for the sparrow and myself. The award is kept at my house and it feels nice.”

But how did Hitesh develop this love for animals at such a young age? PAWS is the secret. Sunish Subramanian founder to PAWS Mumbai explained that “Hitesh stays very close to our NGO. He would accompany us for rescues since he was one year old. This was thanks to his uncle Chandramani Yadav who used to volunteer at PAWS. His visit to the NGO got him aware and interested since a very young age. Every time we would go rescue any bird, he would watch with keep interest. Till one day he begun rescuing birds himself and would get them to the NGO.”

Do not be under the misconception that sparrow is the only bird that Hitesh has rescued. This five- year -old have saved creatures like turtle, pigeon, kite, owl and besra too. Sunish inform us that, “Hitesh is very alert when it comes too rescuing creature. One day he saw that a few kids from his locality had captured a turtle from the nearby well. He immediately went and informed his father and they quickly went and rescued the turtle and got it to PAWS.”

When we asked his uncle Chandramani Yadav, when was the first Hitesh rescued a bird he revealed, “that was about two years ago when Hitesh was about three. He saw a trapped sparrow and rescued it,” His uncle also went on to say “I cannot tell you how happy nature, environment and birds make him. Even if we put the internet on, he want to see the different kinds of birds and animals. While walking to school too, he is always on the look out for birds. We can already say that nature is his passion.”

Kudos to you Hitesh! All we from the ya! Desk want to say is way to go little ya!ster. You have made us very proud. 

PRESS Coverage . DNA Ya! Mumbai . Sunday, March27, 2011 . Cover Page

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PRESS Coverage . DNA Ya! Mumbai . Sunday, March27, 2011 . Page 9

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Bhandup boy awarded for saving sparrows

Bhandup boy awarded for saving sparrows

Megha Pol : HT Live Thane - Mulund 

Mumbai, Sunday, March 27, 2011 . Page 1

Governor K Sankaranarayanan 

(left) honouring five-year-old 

Hitesh Yadav.  COURTESY: PAWS-Mumbai

BHANDUP: He may be only five but has already set a example for the elders. Hitesh Yadav of Bhandup was recently honoured by Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan for regularly rescuing sparrows.

Yadav was honoured as ‘one of the youngest sparrow friends’ at Raj Bhavan on March 20, the event put together by Plant & Animals Welfare Society – Mumbai (PAWS-Mumbai) to make World Sparrow Day.

On March 18, Yadav rescued two young sparrows from a cat near his home and brought them to us, said PAWS founder and Secretary, Sunish Subramanian. “We saluted his efforts and decided to give him this award.”

S FOR SPARROW

As part of its Sparrow Conservation Mission, 

PAWS will launch a book ‘S for Sparrow’ on 

World Sparrow Day, 2012. The book will contain 

collection of poems, paintings and stoies related to 

sparrows from students, people and celebrities. 

Send your entries to s4sparrow@gmail.com. 

The top hundred entries will be published in the book. 

Yadav, a senior KG student of NES Sunbeam School, Bhandup, has been rescuing birds and turtles from the age of three. Subramanian said : “Near Hitesh’s house in Bhandup, there is a pipeline on which sparrows regularly build their nests. When the young ones grown up and learn to fly, they fall down in the first few attempts and become victims of the stray in the area. Yadav has often seen these young sparrows caught by cats. Thus a week ago, when two young once fell from their nests and were approached by a cat, he immediately picked them up and brought them to PAWS office.”

Yadav has also rescued a pigeon suffering from dehydration in his school premises by taking it to PAWS. “He never misses an opportunity to feed the birds with grains on his way to school. Even on day he is late for school he stops to feed the birds.” Subramanian added.

PAWS observed World Sparrow Day – India on March 20 by organising painting competitions based on sparrows for children.

PRESS Coverage  . HT Live Thane - Mulund  . March 27, 2011 Sunday .  Page 1 

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Five year old Hitesh Yadav receiving Sparrow Friend Award 2011

Hitesh the Little Super Hero 

PRESS Coverage  . Afternoon Voice . March 21, 2011 Monday .  Page 14 . City 

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Only 5 and already a bird lover by instinct

Only 5 and already a bird lover by instinct 

Hitesh was recently given the “Sparrow Friend Award 2011” by Governor K Sankaranarayanan 

Alok Deshpande

At five, Hitesh Yadav probably does not know what an environmentalist or conservationist is, though he can be termed one himself. He was recently given the 'Sparrow Friend Award 2011' by Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan. But such is his love for birds that he kept thinking about the kites he saw in the lawns of the Raj Bhavan even as the honour was bestowed upon him.

"He has been in love with birds since he was three years old. Nobody guided him in this regard. He simply loves birds by instinct and wants to take care of them. He has asked his father to install a sparrow shelter at home. What drives his passion at such a young age is beyond us," says Chandramani Yadav, Hitesh's uncle.

This senior KG student of NES Sunbeam School, Bhandup, boasts of a further impressive CV — the 'Robinage Bright Sparks Scholarship' in 2009 and the 'Outstanding Student award for being an Animal activist' in 2010. Now in 2011, he has bagged the 'Sparrow Friend Award' given by the Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Mumbai.

He likes birds and animals so much that the TV at his home plays Discovery Channel all day. "I like birds. And I love to be with them," he says.

The only telephone number he knows is that of Sunish Subramanian of PAWS. "Whenever he finds a bird lying on the road or injured, he calls Sunish," says his uncle.

"We encourage young citizens to enlist for the cause of nature conservation. Several bird lovers are associated with us, but Hitesh is extraordinary. Rescuing birds is not something kids his age prefer doing. He used to be with us since the age of three. Perhaps he wants to do the things we do," says Subramanian of PAWS.

PRESS Coverage . DNA . Mumbai . Friday, March 25, 2011 . Page 7

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