‘Kabootarbazi’: The pigeon flying competitions of Hyderabad

Top among the pigeon sports is pigeon racing in which the birds are taken a hundred kilometres away from its home and then released. The pigeon that reaches its loft first is the winner

Hyderabad: It’s peak winter and pigeon fanciers are busy participating in pigeon racing and high and low-altitude flying competitions. It’s between December and February, the pigeon sports known as ‘kabootarbazi’, are conducted in the city and suburbs.

Scores of pigeon breeders and keepers gather at designated places, particularly in the older parts of the city, and engage in one of their favourite sporting activities.

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Top among the pigeon sports is pigeon racing in which the birds are taken a hundred kilometres away from its home and then released. The pigeon that reaches its loft first is the winner.

“Several pigeon keepers take part in the races. The winner is declared after an umpire calculates the distance and velocity,” said Syed Afsar, who regularly organizes races.

Another popular event in the tournaments is the ‘flock flying’. Two or more pigeon flocks comprising anywhere between 25 and 100 pigeons are released at one go by their owners. “In these low and high-altitude flying competitions, the opponents attempt to distract each other’s birds. The flock that gets more birds of the opponent flock to their lofts is the winner,” said Mohd Akram, who participates in the races.

One more event is the high-altitude flying wherein the winner is adjudged after calculating the total flying time of the participating birds on any given day. The prizes at the end of the competitions are mobile phones, LED TVs, sports bicycles, etc.

The competitions are held mainly between December and February when the organizers feel the weather is favourable for holding the competition. “More than the money, it is the fame which matters to the participants,” a breeder at Hassan Nagar says.

The sport is rampant in Misrigunj, Golconda, Jiyaguda, Kulsumpura, Talabkatta, Falaknuma, Shahalibanda, Shaheen Nagar, Bandlaguda, and Chanchalguda.

Pigeon followers broadly classify the birds into those known for their competitive flying ability and those prized for their looks. Homers, popularly called Girebaz are a breed of pigeons fit for racing when they are between eight months and five-years-old. The costly and fancy pigeons in India such as Fantail, Jacobin, Frill Back Pigeon, and Indian Gola are in huge demand in the city.

A pair of pigeons cost between Rs 600 and Rs 10,000, even more depending upon the demand and breed. There are about 300 pigeon breeders in the old city of Hyderabad.