As one treads down the genteel vicinities of Purani Delhi, the wafting aroma of biryani and the loud salvo of marketeers in the Meena Bazar present a perfect welcome to its visitors. Walking along the scenes, one finds no escape route from the fascinating and captivating charm of Chandni Chowk. The sky-high minaars and the sounds of azaan beautifully catapult a sulked mind to a spiritual high, leaving all the worries of the pallid life behind, thus establishing a connection with the divine one. Soon the sky above the Jama Masjid echoes to the sound of hundreds of kabootars (pigeons) soaring high with pride and dignity as if they still belong to the Nawabi culture they once were part of.

The kabootarsflying above the roofs of Matia Mahal in Chandni Chowk can be observed as if they were still surrendering to the commands of their masters. These pigeons were once the pride of the Nawabs of the Mughal era, who used to put their dignity at stake by inviting their rivals for a game of Kabutarbaazi. The Nawabs would boast about their flocks of pigeons, which included authentic breeds such as Kalsera, Lalsera, Lal Chhapka, Kala Chhapka, Jeera, Hara, Neelam and Kathwa to name a few. Some pigeons were specially marked for their high flight while the others were selected as they performed beautiful dance in the sky by fluttering their colourful feathers.

The song "Masakali" in the movie Delhi 6 is actually sung in the praise of the kabootars, who land on quaint terraces of Chandni Chowk. At present, by tracing their flight, one can reach a group of men, more precisely called "Ustaads", who have kept their "nawabi" lifestyle alive by playing the long lost game of kabutarbaazi. The Kabootarbaz community of Shahjahanabad has kept the actual essence of this game yet some of the nuances have been a little damaged for sure.

Rendezvous with Rambo

Rambo alias Rashid, who lives in the tallest building at the Ghanshyam Gali of Chandni Chowk, narrates his love and expertise in the game in a filmy manner. "Mera naam hai Rashid,lekin sab mujhe Rambo bulaate hai(My name is Rashid but I am known in this area by the name of Rambo)." Explaining further, Rambo said, "My grandparents were proud kabutarbaaz of their time. Our family had aound 500-600 kabootars, which are now reduced to 100. It is not that we don't enjoy this game any more.We really love this game and it is a matter of pride for us to be akabutarbaaz. But one cannot escape the realities and that is why we have to devote a lot of our time to our businesses and that is the reason the number of enthusiasts of kabutarbaazi has been reducing. I think there are hardly 30 ustaads left in our community." Queried about the hierarchy of players in the game, Rambo elucidated, "This game has its own terminology and rules. Ustaads are the senior most; then come the khalifas and the shagirds. At present I am a shaagird. We own various breeds of pigeons like Magpie, Shirazi and Basra. Kabutarbaazi is a rich man's hobby as you have to take care of the pigeons in a very careful manner."

The rules of the game are very simple yet interesting, explained Rambo. Like other games, Kabootarbazialso follows the tradition of having umpires, who are known as munsifs (judges). The munsifs are required to have a keen eyesight to avoid any contention. "It takes around six months to one year for a person to receive complete training in Kabootabaazi. Not only the players but the kabootars go through special training as well. During off seasons, we feed the kabootarswell. They gain weight and because of the weight they are unable to fly high. So we have to prepare a special diet plan for our kabootars. Their diet has badam (almonds), munakka, desi ghee, mirchi (chillies), charu magaz (melon seeds), akal khera and mulethi (among other ingredients) mixed in bajra (millet) so that they become robust and have the stamina for flights lasting as long as three hours. Normally the game of kabootarbazi doesn't last more than 30 minutes but we have to train our kabootars to sustain for a longer duration. We have to take a serious note of their wings so that they become lighter to carry an easy flight. The shaagirds usually train under the ustaads. It is a common practice that in order to become an Ustaad, theshaagirdhas to defeat the Khalifafirst and then only he is allowed to compete with the Ustaad and if he manages to defeat him, then the community honours him with the highest title."

Nawaabi rules

For a layman witnessing the game for the first time, kabootarbazi appears to be about just a bunch of people setting their pigeons free and then calling them back by making sounds. However, the game is much more than that. It, in fact, forms a subculture that stands on the base of dignity, pride and honour. Rambo explained the rules," First, the pigeons are marked by the owner by tying a thread on their legs, applying haldi (turmeric) or by keeping a golden ring or chain around their legs. These pigeons are well-trained in following their master's vocal instructions." Interestingly, this game is played between rivals and not between friends.

As the race starts, three sets of munsifs (umpires) are positioned at different points. A pair of umpires is positioned at starting point, another pair at the finishing line and one in the middle.The umpires keep an eye on the distance travelled by each pigeon group, noting down which group returned in time and which group did not lose their way or get distracted by a rival player's sounds. When a pigeon from one group joins the other group, the original owner loses the right on that pigeon. Now if the original owner wants that pigeon back in his group, she/he needs to pay appropriate amount as per the breed and skills of that pigeon. And there is no guarantee that the pigeon will not go and join a new group. This classic game has the power of making the whole community of Old Delhi very strong. Somehow, people in Old Delhi have much stronger bonding as compared to other regions of Delhi. Most of them know who owns which group/flock of pigeons and who is good at what. All this information makes each of them informed about the styles of each family and these games help strengthen the bond. When the pigeons return to their masters after flying far, it is considered a matter of great pride. It indicates that the kabootar (pigeon) is well trained and loyal to the master.Based on these criteria, the successful kabootarbaz is declared a winner by the munsifs.

In olden days, following the game, to boast and celebrate the success of a victory, the winner has to throw a dinner for select members of the kabootarbaz community. An older member of the community, asking for anonymity, said, "The winner had to visit the house of the invitee and hand him one or more cardamoms. One cardamom means that only the invitee can come for the daawat(dinner party). If the invitee gets two or more cardamoms then he could bring more guests along with him. The cardamoms could never be negotiated, the prime invitee had to accept whatever number of cardamoms he got and ensured he got as many guests to the daawat, without fail. The dinner had to be eaten by all, with people from all religions and backgrounds sitting together. Any sort of discrimination is not tolerated in our community.These rules hold a special significance as the game was popularly played in the days of high communal tension between Hindus and Muslims. One community discriminated the other on religious grounds, and only if one was a kabutarbaaz, he was refrained from practising discrimination."

It would be incorrect to say that kabootarbazi has lost its charm completely. As Rashid informed, traces of this game can still be found from Ajmer to Iran. The kabootarbazi in Iran is way more professional and fascinating than what we see here in India. On taking a closer look,kabootarbazi appears a rich man's game (as it was the shauq, or hobby, of nawaabs). The kabootarbaz who partake in the contests which are organised with pomp and show on 26 January every year, say the cost of maintaining a flock of kabootarsranges from a minimum Rs 35,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh and even more. The authentic breeds, which were seen flying above Delhi in Mughal times, have become the talk of the bygone era and to recollect those nawaabi kabootarsagain is no easy job.

Kabootarbazi has always been a "shauq" and not necessity of for the members of community and this is the only reason why the community has still managed to maintain the actual essence of this long-lost tradition. This rich man's game hasn't lost its nawaabi charm but yes, the Nawaabs of Purani Delhi are definietly less in numbers. When Rashid, also known as Rambo of Ghanshayam Gali, Matia Mahal, was asked what actually could be the sole reason this game has survived from the Mughal times to the present day, he gave a quirky smile and in his own Nawaabi andaaz, or manner, replied, "Janaab, shauq badi cheez hai.(Sir, hobby is a big thing.)"