Sparrows were once the heartbeat of our bustling streets, chirping melodies that woke us with the dawn. Today, in the concrete jungle of Chennai, Ganeshan D’s Koodugal Nest is breathing life back into those forgotten tunes, one nest box at a time.
A Boy Who Never Forgot the Birds
Ganeshan D grew up watching sparrows nest on every ledge in North Chennai’s narrow lanes. As a boy, he chased them with a smile, never knowing that cities would one day silence their songs. His father laboured in a small factory while his mother stitched clothes for neighbours.
Young Ganeshan juggled schoolbooks and odd jobs. One rainy evening during a power cut, a lone sparrow tapped at his window. Its tiny eyes seemed to plead for shelter. That moment changed everything. He built his first shaky nest from scrap wood and watched chicks hatch.
Friends mocked his bird obsession. Funds dried up. A family illness drained their savings. Yet Ganeshan persisted, quitting a dead-end job to pour his soul into conservation. With his wife, Shanthini, by his side, he founded Koodugal Nest in 2020. What began as one boy’s compassion has grown into a movement inspiring thousands.
From a Garage to a Movement
By 2021, Ganeshan’s garage had become a workshop. He hammered nest boxes late into humid Chennai nights while neighbours whispered he was mad. When loans failed, he sold family gold to buy wood and paint. The lowest point came when a storm destroyed 200 boxes overnight, leaving him in tears.
But dawn brought hope. A school principal in Royapuram saw his determination and invited him to Dhanalakshmi Higher Secondary School. Children built their first nests with eager hands. Sparrows returned, their chirping a small victory. Word spread through Velachery and Tambaram. Communities turned balconies into bird havens.
Ganeshan recalls a tearful night when a dying sparrow revived in his palm. That moment whispered to him to fight on. From 12,000 boxes in four years to 15,000 across Tamil Nadu, his journey soared. Corporate rejections stung, but encouragement from Chennai Willingdon Foundation fuelled dreams. This personal battle transformed Koodugal from a simple trust into a family’s love letter to nature.
Koodugal Nest: Northern Skies Come Alive Again
Northern Chennai’s skies have changed. Sparrow counts leapt 30 per cent as 10 new districts embraced the mission. Ganeshan shares how a shy girl in Anna Nagar, once bullied for her loneliness, found friends through nest-building workshops.
Challenges peaked during monsoons. Floods submerged sanctuaries, forcing volunteers to work through the night salvaging nests. Yet eight bird havens now dot the city. Children learn waste management and biogas production alongside sparrow conservation.
Ganeshan’s diary reveals raw struggles. He writes, “Doubts choke me at midnight, but one fledgling’s flight erases them.” Initiatives expanded beyond nest boxes. String art therapy helps stressed volunteers. Native tree planting creates natural habitats.
Then came national validation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Koodugal Nest during the 116th episode of Mann Ki Baat. For Ganeshan, this was thunderbolt recognition. The expansion proves urban conservation lives in our backyards.
Koodugal Nest: Children Leading the Charge
Schools became the pulse of Koodugal’s mission, with children as tiny warriors. Ganeshan beams, recalling a Perungalathur boy who skipped meals to buy grain for his sparrows.
Workshops stir deep emotions. Grandmothers share tales of childhoods filled with sparrow songs, vowing to teach grandchildren. Sceptical parents dismissed the work as play, but sightings of fledglings changed minds. A mobile app now tracks populations, empowering citizens as data collectors.
Shanthini, Ganeshan’s wife, battled health problems yet led women’s groups in water conservation. From Krishnagiri’s biogas plants to rural digital literacy drives, communities thrive.
One volunteer’s note read, “Koodugal gave me wings.” Ganeshan framed it as a sacred vow. These threads of struggle and joy made sparrows more than birds. They became bridges healing divided hearts.
Koodugal Nest:National and Global Recognition
The Mann Ki Baat mention catapulted Koodugal into the sky. Invitations poured from across India. Ganeshan says recognition healed old wounds, like when officials once slammed doors on his pleas—an international nod from the British Ornithologists’ Union beckons in 2026.
Research published in Biotropica validated their efforts, proving nest boxes boost fledging rates despite urban challenges. Ganeshan scribbles poetry in notebook margins, verses likening sparrows to resilient souls.
Corporate allies such as Genesys and Lennox amplified reach, but he credits anonymous donors who were moved by Facebook live sessions. This recognition reminds us that small steps echo loudest.
Koodugal Nest:The Audacious Dream of One Lakh Nests
Ganeshan has set an ambitious target. He aims to distribute one lakh nest boxes across Chennai in the coming years, with a vision of reaching 100,000 families over the next decade. This plan builds on distributing nearly 15,000 boxes statewide, primarily through schools and communities.
The goal is simple yet profound. He wants to blanket Chennai with wooden shelters until sparrows become a daily sight again. Starting from Royapuram, where early efforts boosted local populations, expansion now targets balconies, rooftops, schoolyards and apartments citywide. He dreams of every urban corner echoing with chirps, reversing habitat loss from concrete sprawl.
Corporate backers like Chennai Willingdon Foundation and Lennox India fuel this scale-up, turning children into builders. The ripple extends beyond Chennai to Tamil Nadu districts and potentially nationwide, inspired by the Prime Minister’s encouragement. This is not mere distribution. It represents a people’s movement, weaving nests into daily life for generational impact.
The one lakh target unfolds in smart phases. The short-term focus remains on 50+ schools and gated societies that already host over 12,000 active boxes, with 60-70% occupied by breeding pairs. Ganeshan targets reaching the 100,000-family milestone in 10 years, starting with 10 new districts this year.
Progress markers include 30 per cent population growth in pilot zones and the creation of eight urban bird sanctuaries through native tree planting. Challenges like monsoons and funding shortages are addressed through volunteer-driven workshops, ensuring a steady rollout. Digital tracking apps will monitor success, allowing citizens to report fledgling sightings in real time.
Koodugal Nest:Community Power Fuels the Mission
Success depends on hands-on involvement. Students craft boxes, learning empathy while reducing screen time. Ganeshan recalls when sceptical parents and storm-wrecked prototypes threatened progress. Now partnerships amplify the message. Thirty-five schools, environmental groups and delivery workers spread the word.
Future phases will integrate water management and biogas production. Stories of children who skip meals to feed their birds mirror Ganeshan’s own sacrifices. This ensures one lakh is not just a number but lives intertwined, healing urban souls one nest at a time.
Koodugal Nest: A Symphony That Calls Us All
Ganeshan dreams of nest boxes dotting every skyline in Chennai. He whistles sparrow calls to calm nerves during crises, a habit from lonely nights. Emotional peaks include a Koyambedu reunion when sparrows hatched in school boxes returned as parents.
Struggles persist. Funding dips and climate challenges bite hard. But optimism burns bright. Beyond sparrows, agriculture programs nurture holistic growth among volunteers. Ganeshan writes in his journal, “We save them to save ourselves.”
Koodugal Nest transcends conservation. It has become a symphony of revival, inviting everyone to join. Let one nest rewrite our urban tale. Let forgotten melodies return to wake us with the dawn. The sparrows are waiting. So is Chennai.
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