For birds unable to fly,cloth trader offers a nest to recuperate and rest

His only source of livelihood — the cloth shop — is not a bigger priority than his care for birds.

“My love for birds started when I was 12 years old. One day a sparrow that had nestled in our living room died after being hit by the ceiling fan. That incident got etched on my mind,” says Bhatia while adding: “After some years,I found an injured pigeon and I treated it with an ointment. When I released it in the sky,I got hooked to my love for birds.”

Bhatia,who is an active member of another NGO for animals,has been treating the injured birds of all species for the past two decades.

“Earlier I had been keeping the injured birds at home,but when the number of the birds grew,I thought of setting up an exclusive hospital for them.”

The NGO has been allotted a place behind the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT).

His hobby comes with its own share of criticism. “Sometimes,my wife and father criticise me by saying that I am wasting my time. But,I never get discouraged,” says the bird lover.

So who funds the birds’ shelter? Bhatia says while the members of his NGO pool in with some money,they also seek donations from people,often in the form of food grains.