Out of confines: Pigeons take flight at the valedictory function of Madurai Racing Pigeon Council event on Sunday. | Photo Credit: R_ASHOK more-in Ancient texts often refer to pigeons as ‘racehorses of the sky’. This euphemism, however, brings problems for those organising pigeon racing events, and the anxiety to dispel the wrong notions associated with the sport was obvious at an event organised by Madurai Racing Pigeon Council (MRPC). Speaking at the prize distribution function of the annual racing event here on Sunday, chief guest K. Palaniapppan, president of New Madras Racing Pigeon Association, said, “Just because the word ‘racing’ exists in the name, people believe that intense gambling is involved. This is a sport. We must stop tainting it.” The organisers said they even tried to change the name to ‘long-distance pigeon sports’ to dispel this notion. This year, the annual competitions included short distance and long distance races across Tamil Nadu. The categories were determined by kilometres covered. Breeders, who usually own up to 150 pigeons, entered their trained birds in legs that started from Madurai and ended at Chengalpet (Tamil Nadu) and Ongole (Andhra Pradesh). The event organisers claimed that though they acquired permission from Animal Welfare Board of India – Andhra Pradesh, they continued to face problems from the police there. “They think we are smuggling the birds. The police also mistake ‘bidding’ for birds for ‘betting’ on birds. This is what we are constantly attempting to change,” said R. Eswaaran, another guest of honour at the event. S. Allapichai, whose bird won the short distance race, said he struggled against several odds to maintain a healthy environment for his birds. “I was told not to grow pigeons at home. My family complained about the noise the birds make. But now I keep a hundred birds and I won,” he said. M. Krishnan, whose bird won the long-distance event, on the other hand, said his family provided him all the support required to help in rearing and breeding the birds. “I’ve been contesting in races for the past six years. I always have support of the elders at home.” The MRPC plans to conduct many such events in the future involving associations from different States such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It also aims to create public awareness of the nature of the sport.

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