Hyderabad's own little Salim Ali

Eight-year-old Chetan Sai is unlike most boys his age. While his friends were spending the summer holidays at their grandma’s home or playing video games, Chetan was off on nature walks to spot birds.

One of the youngest and the most active members of the Hyderabad Birding Pals club, Chetan — who studies at Sri Vidyanjali High School — can recognise and name about 120 species of birds. Inspired by his father Ineni Kalyan, Chetan started tagging along with his father’s expeditions. It has been a year since and there has been no turning back for the young lad.

“I don’t like to wake up for school even at seven o’clock but I jump out of bed at four for birding walks,” says Chetan with a laugh. He goes on these walks every Sunday morning with the other birding pals, “We birdwatch at KBR Park, Icrisat campus, Ameenpur dam and other places. We also go outside Hyderabad,” says Chetan. The Indian Pitta is his favourite bird, he says, because it is quite rare to spot. “We went looking for this bird three times and only the third attempt was successful,” adds Kalyan.

To be able to spot birds, one needs to tread carefully for four to five kilometres, making sure not to disturb the birds. Not only does Chetan have the names of over a hundred birds on the tip of his tongue but he can also tell you where each one can be found. Chetan uses a book, Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, which he refers to when he spots a new bird. “My happiest moment is when I spot a new bird. I saw a red-necked falcon for the first time a few days ago,” he says.

When new members join them on walks, Chetan is the one who mentors them and educates them about the species. The birdwatching expeditions of the father-son duo will last long as Chetan’s interest is only increasing. He takes the hobby very seriously and says he wants to become a professional bird watcher when he grows up.