The Chatterjees of CK Block have 22 birds, yet their home feels somewhat like an empty nest. “I lost my husband a few months ago. The birds were his passion, and now we all, including the birds, miss him terribly,” says Satarupa Chatterjee.
Her husband Soumitra had always wanted pets — they had a Dachshund years ago — but Satarupa did not want to shoulder the responsibility again. “So he got the birds post-retirement, in 2019, and would stay engrossed with them,” she says.
It had begun with six Cocktails — a pair each in white, yellow and grey. “They came as adults and started laying eggs in a couple of months, except the white pair. Theirs was an arranged marriage and the white feathered couple just wasn’t compatible,” laughs Satarupa’s daughter-in-law, Saheli. Soon one of them escaped through an open cage door. The lone white bird that remained was aggressive, so the family never got him a partner.
But the other two pairs started breeding like rabbits. “We didn’t want to sell the chicks and there wasn’t enough space to house more,” says Satarupa. “So we stopped keeping earthen pots in the cages. The birds only lay eggs if there are pots around.”
The 22 birds now play amongst themselves but fight sometimes for food. “Their body clock is so precise! They will call out for breakfast at 6am and lunch at 1, and so loudly, that my son Sagnik can barely hear his office calls over it,” she laughs. At night, the birds become playful and whistle melodiously.
Every time any fruits and vegetables come home, the first thing the family does is keep some aside for the birds. “But try as we might, they have no interest in them,” Satarupa shakes her head. “The birds only enjoy eating canary and sunflower seeds, bajra and chickpeas.”
But they love water — both for drinking and taking dips. They enjoy the rain too, rushing to the edge of the cage on the balcony to catch a few splashes. “But if it rains too hard, we pull a curtain to keep them dry,” she adds. To deal with the heat wave, the family keeps wet cloth above their cage and directs fans towards them.
Saheli, Satarupa’s daughter-in-law, suffers from pet allergy and is keeping a distance from the birds now as she is expecting. But it’s not for long. “Saheli discovered she was pregnant within days of my husband’s passing. So we are all expecting him to return to us as the baby,” Satarupa smiles. “I’m sure before long, the baby will sit with the birds all day, just like his grandpa did."