Meet The “Nest Man” Who’s Built 250,000 Sparrow Homes And Is Training Kids To Build More

Sparrows may be small birds, but they are certainly worthy of our attention. They can be found in almost all parts of the world, and they bring much joy to our lives as we watch them flying about.

Many people love sparrows, but Rakesh Khatri has almost made them an obsession. He has even earned the title: “Nest Men of India” for his work.

According to a video shared by The Better India, Khatri lives in Delhi, India, and he fell in love with sparrows at a young age. He was happy when he saw them flying about and wanted to return the favor.

One way that he helps these little birds is by building them homes. Since there are so many in the city, they may have difficulty finding a place to live, but Khatri is doing his part to make sure that they all have homes.

He builds those sparrow homes from coconut husk and various other materials, including rattan, cotton, and jute. He also teaches others, so far training 100,000 pupils in some 3500 schools across India.

In speaking with The Guardian, Khatri spoke about how these birds would bring him “great joy.” He would see them on his way to his south Delhi office, but he also saw a problem coming.

Men were busy cementing the holes in pipes where the birds would make their nests. He complained to them, saying he would take it to the National Green Tribunal, and they immediately stopped work.

The area in Delhi has grown up over the past several decades. Before the 1980s, sparrows were everywhere, and his family loved hearing them chirping in the morning.

These days, the habitat for sparrows is disappearing as the landscape changes. Khatri wanted to make a difference, so he began teaching schoolchildren to build these nests through the Ecoroots Foundation.

According to The Better India, almost 500,000 nests have been built using biodegradable or recycled materials.

The Nest Man says that building a home for sparrows is a great blessing. He went on to say: “We need nature, but nature doesn’t need us. If we wish to live and keep ourselves happy, then we need to work together with nature, because she supports us the most.”

You can see more in this video: