Mysterious suicide of birds in Assam village portrayed in poems - via Richard Muirhead

Jatinga, a small tribal village and Assam’s only hill station, is known for the mysterious suicide of birds during certain weeks of the year.

ART-AND-CULTURE Updated: Feb 18, 2020 14:48 IST

Indo Asian News Service

While scientists and ornithologists have been trying to explore and understand the mystery as to why birds behave in a particular manner during those weeks in Jatinga, Guwahati-based poet and award-winning author Tapati Baruah Kashyap has chosen to tell the stories of the birds, the beautiful place and the people living there through her poems.(Unsplash)

Jatinga, a small tribal village and Assam’s only hill station, is known for the mysterious suicide of birds during certain weeks of the year. While scientists and ornithologists have been trying to explore and understand the mystery as to why birds behave in a particular manner during those weeks in Jatinga, Guwahati-based poet and award-winning author Tapati Baruah Kashyap has chosen to tell the stories of the birds, the beautiful place and the people living there through her poems.

“In Love With Jatinga” is a collection of 50 poems through which the poet not only asks the often-repeated question as to why the birds of Jatinga meet death in such a mysterious manner, but also takes readers through this place, which is located on the lap of the lofty Borail mountain (in southern Assam).

“Jatinga is not about birds alone. It has lovely people, lovely oranges and pineapples, and breath-taking natural scenery all around. It is a little paradise on earth,” Kashyap says. The poet, in the opening of her book has dedicated it to “serene people, serene place, spotless nature, in the lap of Jatinga.”

The mysterious birds’ phenomenon has made Jatinga, only nine km from the mountainous Haflong, the district Headquarters of Dima Hasao in Assam, world famous for the strange behaviour of the migratory birds that takes place during the months of September to November. As many as 24 of the 50 poems are about this village, its people, its birds, winding pathways, sweet breeze, the headman, its founding fathers, its hard-working women, and so on.

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Hundreds of Birds Killed at Jatinga to Shoot Film!

Birds were allegedly massacred by villagers at the behest of a filmmaker for shooting his documentary

PUBLISHED: 10:19 PM, 24 OCT 2017
UPDATED: 10:09 PM, 24 OCT 2017

 BY:BNE BUREAU

Jatinga, famous for mysterious birds phenomena, turned into a mass killing field for birds on Sunday night, allegedly at the behest of a filmmaker for shooting his documentary.

Bird lovers and locals alleged that documentary filmmaker Ananda had engaged a foreigner to film the killing of birds in Jatinga. Hundreds of birds were killed by villagers in exchange for money given by Ananda, they alleged.

The protection force of the Forest and Environment department immediately rushed to the spot, rescued a few birds and released them. According to ACF Tuhin Langthasa, in-charge of the protection force, a large number of birds visited Jatinga on Sunday but were killed as Ananda, who introduced himself as a documentary filmmaker, encouraged the villagers to put up lights and attract the birds, although there is a ban on using lights during the period when birds migrating over long distances visit Jatinga.

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