‘Chirp O’Clock’ organised across three Assam districts to honour the Birdman of India

Guwahati, Nov 15: Region’s leading biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, in collaboration with Wipro earthian has launched a month-long birdwatching and learning initiative titled ‘Chirp O’Clock’, aimed at inspiring citizen-led action for sustainability and environmental stewardship. The initiative commemorates the 129th birth anniversary of Dr. Salim Ali, fondly remembered as the Birdman of India.
Dr. Salim Ali, one of the greatest ornithologists and naturalists, devoted nearly eight decades to studying and documenting the birds of the Indian subcontinent. His pioneering work and writings made birdwatching and conservation accessible to the public, sparking generations of environmental awareness and collective responsibility for nature.
The first phase of the ‘Chirp O’Clock’ initiative was held on November 12 across ecologically significant locations in Kamrup Metropolitan district, including Deepor Beel-Assam’s only Ramsar site, Dakshin Beltola High School and Amrit Udyan, a popular green space in the heart of Guwahati. Over 100 participants, comprising students, teachers, research scholars, Aaranyak officials, bird enthusiasts and local residents, took part in the day-long event.
The initiative was also conducted in Golaghat and Jorhat districts, engaging students and teachers from Karaiyani High School in Golaghat and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Titabar in Jorhat, with 95 participants actively joining the programme.
“The Environment Education and Capacity Building Division (EECBD) of Aaranyak has been working with schools and communities across Northeast India to nurture pro-environmental values among young people. Through ‘Chirp O’Clock’, we aim to reconnect humans with nature and foster a culture of respect and active participation in conservation,” said Jayanta Kumar Pathak, Assistant Director and Head (in-charge), EECBD, Aaranyak.
Mr. Pathak added that Aaranyak will soon roll out a month-long introductory birding course for beginners, designed to build a community of young birders from the region.
“The enthusiasm shown by young participants in the ‘Chirp O’Clock’ initiative has been very encouraging. We aim to engage more youth across Assam through this platform to inspire deeper involvement in nature conservation,” said Tikendrajit Gogoi, Project Officer and Coordinator of the initiative.