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TreeTake Network
Sanjay Kumar, IIS, Deputy Director, Central Bureau of Communication /Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. Of India
You will find memorials or statues of great personalities, soldiers, and leaders around the world in squares or prominent places. But the 'Sparrow of Lord's' memento at the Marylebone Cricket Club's museum is unique in its own right, illustrating the relationship of sensitivity between the sparrow and cricket.
The Sparrow of Lords, a memento of a sparrow sitting on a cricket ball, conveys compassion and deep love for nature and all living beings, as well as a message of conservation. The museum itself is the only one in the world to honour a sparrow. So, there is another unique monument dedicated to the sparrow in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. which is dedicated to a sparrow bird. The plaque and the story itself are unique. Because it is probably the only monument in the world dedicated to the martyrdom of a bird sparrow. There are more memorials/statues in the country and abroad for sparrow conservation. Among these are the interesting story of the 'Sparrow of Lords' and the Ahmedabad Memorial. First, let's talk about the Sparrow of Lords.
The history of the martyrdom of the sparrow bird is an interesting story of association with cricket. An interesting incident has entered the pages of history by connecting the tiny bird sparrow with cricket. The biggest shrine of cricket is called the Lord's Cricket Ground in London. If playing here is an achievement for anyone, then watching a match there is also a matter of great fortune. As well as the Lord's Cricket Ground, there is a large museum on its premises, which houses several cricket-related memorabilia. A house sparrow, mounted flying on a ball, is on display in the same museum. It may sound a little strange to have a sparrow in a cricket museum, but it is true. It happened on July 3, 1936, when a cricket match was being played between Marylebone Cricket Club and Cambridge University at Lord's Cricket Ground in England. The match featured India's Jahangir Khan, who was playing for Cambridge University. During the match, Indian cricketer Jahangir Khan threw the ball to encircle batsman Pearce. Before the ball could reach Pearce, the fluttering little sparrow came to the middle. And the ball reached Pearce, hitting the sparrow. Pearce defended the forwards. Just then, people heard something fall, like something had fallen on the stumps. Pearce looked back and saw an injured sparrow lying near the stumps and the bails were intact. The ball hit the sparrow; no one witnessed the incident. There was no TV coverage then. The press photographers were also not careful as it was a short match. But it was speculated that the ball might have hit the sparrow. The injured sparrow died within moments. Its body was torn apart by the ball. After the incident, the sparrow was stuffed and mounted on the same ball with due respect and the Lord's Cricket Ground management placed the dead sparrow and the ball in the Marylebone Cricket Club’s Museum and named it 'Sparrow of Lord's'. Even today the sparrow and the ball are the pride of the Marylebone Cricket Club’s Museum which makes people aware of the conservation of sparrows.
The sparrow and the ball have been made to look like souvenirs. On the ball, the sparrow is shown spreading its wings. The souvenir bears a plaque that reads in English "This Sparrow Was Killed at Lord's by a Ball Balled by Jahangir Khan (Cambridge University) to T. N. Pearce (MCC) on 3rd July 1936." The 'Sparrow of Lords' kept in a glass case in the museum seems to be a significant sight that gives a message of conservation of the endangered sparrow from the world. It was also on display at the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam once in 2006. Wisden's obituary, the bible of cricket, mentions a tribute to this sparrow in addition to heavenly beings.
On the other hand, the story of the Sparrow Memorial established in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is also interesting. This monument is unique in itself. It is probably the only monument in the world dedicated to the martyrdom of a sparrow in police firing on. The memorial dedicated to the martyrdom of the sparrow shows the deep love and human sensitivity towards nature and all living creatures. The incident dates back to the 2nd of March 1974 when the Roti Ramkhan (Navnirman Andolan) movement was going on when the police opened fire to disrupt the movement. The people erected a monument to the martyrdom of the sparrow. This is mentioned in the inscription on the monument with messages written for the sparrow, which is engraved on a cement plaque. The memorial plaque dedicated to the martyrdom of the sparrow has messages inscribed in both English and Gujarati on the upper part of the structure, and the lower part of the structure has the figure of a sparrow, surrounded by leaves like a wreath. The plaque commemorating the martyrdom of the sparrow indicates that the sparrow is a domestic bird living in and around human homes. One who is a companion of human joys and sorrows and a friend of the farmers.
At the same time, in 1958, after calling for the killing of four pests, including the sparrow, for grain waste in China, the sparrow was exterminated from China. By the time it was later discovered that the sparrow had no role to play in the wastage of grain, it was too late. No memorial or plaque was erected to commemorate or correct the omission of this shameful event. On the other hand, Vancouver, the seaside town of The Birds in British Columbia, Canada, has a giant statue of a sparrow-house sparrow. The Birds consists of a pair of outdoor sculptures depicting house sparrows by Myfanwy MacLeod, installed after the 2010 Winter Olympics at Southeast False Creek Olympic Plaza, which served as the site of the 2010 Olympic Village in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The giant sparrow sculpture consists of a male and a female house sparrow, which is about five meters long. McLeod is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film titled 'The Birds'. The sculptures were manufactured by Heavy Industries, with some of the bodywork completed by semi-rigid plastic parts repair.
A statue of five sparrows has been installed at GPO Golambar in Patna, the capital of Bihar, and an artwork of a sparrow has been installed in Kankarbagh so that people can see it and come forward to protect it. Under this, an effort has been made to spread the message of conservation of the endangered sparrow and also to make people aware of the Golden Rule of Solid Waste Management Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle by Patna Municipal Corporation. Kankarbagh Tempo Stand Golambar is decorated with a special artwork of sparrows. Tempo Stand Golambar of Kankarbagh, Patna is the first in the city to have a Sparrow artwork on the theme Waste to Wonder. Old, useless things like water tanks, pipes, dustbins, etc. have been used in its making. The same GPO Golambar by Smart City shows five metal sparrows sitting on a tree. Thus, pet lovers get to make souvenirs in memory of their pets. It is also seen in films but not the domestic bird sparrow. The sparrow is the state bird of Bihar and Delhi, but the whole world is aware of its extinction and conservation. The human-inhabited sparrow has moved away from humans, but sparrow lovers/conservationists are active about its return. In such a situation, the Sparrow of Lords, Martyr Sparrow Memorial of Ahmedabad, Giant Sparrow of Vancouver, and Sparrow Sculpture of Patna give the message that the world is barren without birds. So please protect us!
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