An unparalleled friend of crows

The "crow," which sits on the house ledge and announces the arrival of guests with its harsh "caw-caw" sound, is probably not a favorite bird of any of us. We see this jet-black bird around us, consider it clever and cunning, and quickly shoo it away with a "hush-hush" sound. But when Pitru Paksha arrives, and we call them for 15 days to feed them to please our ancestors by saying "aao-aao," it either runs ahead or flies away with a "furr," as if it doesn't believe that the human beings who raise their hands to shoo it away daily now want to feed it with their own hands!! This mutual recognition between humans and crows, though familiar, is very unfamiliar, which is probably why they both maintain an equal distance from each other.

But 76-year-old Naveen Khanna of Delhi has a different kind of relationship with this clever, cunning, and "unfriendly" bird. As soon as he calls out "crows...crows...aao...aao," a large number of crows gather near him, and he not only feeds them with his own hands but also talks to them, asks about their well-being, and even plays cards with them! Isn't it surprising!! Naveen Khanna's friendship with crows is not a recent one but is more than 50 years old. This goes back to the 70s when he used to live in Kalkaji, Delhi, and would come home from the office for lunch in the afternoon. Before eating, he would habitually make a 'churi' (crumbled bread) and put the "first bite" on the balcony ledge for the birds. Due to this "affectionate" habit of his, birds used to gather on his balcony every day to "peck." One day, he saw a crow sitting far from the birds, making a strange, low "caw-caw" sound, as if asking him if it too would get something to eat. Understanding the crow's sentiment, he quickly extended a piece of bread towards the crow with his hand. But it was surprising that this bird, which usually flies away at the sight of a human approaching, did not fly away but took the bite from his hand, ate it, and flew off. Now that crow started coming to his balcony every day exactly at his mealtime. Naveen Khanna named him "Bhagat Ji." "Bhagat Ji" soon became his closest friend. But gradually, other crows also started coming with him. As the number of crows increased, Naveen Khanna's interest in befriending them also grew. He even named the crows based on their different behaviors. Seeing the crows' reactions when called by names like "Bholi," "Razia," "Jhumru," "Jaipur Leg," "Tedhi," "Bukni," his curiosity to know and understand them more grew day by day.

Having maintained this unique relationship with crows for about 50 years, Naveen Khanna has gathered a lot of information about them, which he shares, saying that most people believe that a crow is one-eyed, but this is not true; it has two eyes, and they are very sharp!! It's just that, like policemen, it keeps a slanted eye on people, which is why it appears so! Besides this, birds also have a sixth sense, which allows them to anticipate any event in advance. From the crow's way of speaking, flapping its wings, fighting, and flying, you can even predict the arrival of rain, storms, and even earthquakes in advance. They can also detect adulteration in food items by smelling them. Try feeding a crow food cooked with adulterated oil or flour; it will pick it up in its beak, flick it away, but will not eat it! This is my well-tested experience with them. Naveen Khanna's treasure trove of memories is filled with many such pieces of information and different stories of crows, which he has compiled and written several books on crows. Due to his friendship with crows, countless stories, and unique information, his name has also been registered in the "Limca Book of Records," and today he is known as the "Indian Crow Man" both in the country and abroad.

On being considered a cunning bird after reading the story of the "thirsty crow" in childhood, Naveen Khanna says, "The crow is not only clever but also such an intelligent bird that no one has ever tried to know and understand it! You can easily make them your friends if you want, but since all crows look the same in appearance, to identify them, look at their feet; you will find some dissimilarity in everyone's feet. Then observe their behavior and give them a name based on that. When called by name, the crow will gradually start responding to you and will become your friend. But knowing about the crows' color, harsh voice, and their connection with tantric rituals in the "Kag Tantra," no one has ever tried to know, understand, or befriend them. People have always been hesitant to even let them come near, which is why for the common person, it has remained a mysterious bird."

But for Naveen Khanna, crows are just like any other bird, which is why his wife Sunila cooks food for the crows every morning, and he first calls them to his balcony in his new residence in Vikaspuri to feed them their favorite food—paneer, besan boondi, pakodi, biscuits, ghee-laden roti, and yogurt-rice—and then goes to meet them at the nearby district park, where he spends hours playing and laughing with them. He shows the playing cards to a crow and asks it to pick a specific card, and the crow picks that card with its beak and gives it to him. Then, as soon as he says "fad-fadi," the crows sitting on the ground start flapping their wings, flying in the air, and doing somersaults. Despite suffering from a serious illness like mouth cancer 10 years ago, there has been no reduction in his meetings and feeding sessions with his crow friends. But yes! Where about 40 to 50 crows used to come to meet him daily before, now due to the decreasing number of crows in the metropolises, the number of his friends has also reduced to only 10-12. His very first friend, "Bhagat Ji," who met him and maintained the friendship for 20 years, is also no more. Besides, many other old friends also do not come anymore, which he deeply regrets.

Decades ago, people who used to stare at him and initially make fun of his friendship with crows, seeing them hovering over him and walking along from his home to the bus stop while he was going to the office, now see this relationship as a unique and wonderful example. Because everyone knows that trust is essential in any friendship, no matter with whom it is. Then, the amount of hard work Naveen Khanna must have put in to win the trust of a bird like the crow is not only commendable but also unparalleled and rare.