Aman Sharma, a 19-year-old from Delhi started Cuckoo About Nature Club — a birding club for youth. He grows over 500 plants in his terrace garden, which invite birds, butterflies and bees. Aman claims he couldn't visit his favorite jungles and wildlife spots during the pandemic-induced curfew in 2020. So he decided to transform his 1,500-square-foot terrace into a little forest. When most of his friends spent their holidays in foreign countries, Aman Sharma recalls how different his school vacations were. His parents used to take him to bird sanctuaries and national parks across the country.

Aman offers advice on how to create an urban jungle:

• Make certain that you have enough room and water.
• Check if your patio can withstand the weight of plants.
• Plant the appropriate host plants in your yard to attract butterflies. These are plants where butterflies lay eggs, which hatch into caterpillars, which finally develop into butterflies.
• As host plants, you may grow powder puff, milkweed, lemon tree, and curry leaf saplings.
• Grow fruiting plants such as guavas and pomegranates to attract birds.
• Grow a lot of blooming plants or trees to attract bees as well as butterflies.

Birding community by youth for youth

Aman started bird-watching from his house balcony at the age of 13. “I would wake up early every day to spend some time on my balcony watching the birds in the neighborhood. It was a life-changing experience,” recalls Aman, who is currently pursuing environmental studies in the US.

Residing in a metropolitan city like Delhi didn’t stop him from pursuing his interests in birdi watching and wildlife photography. To attract more birds and butterflies near his house, he set up a terrace garden, which he calls his ‘urban jungle’, with over 500 plants. “I have spotted over 100 species of birds from my terrace,” claims the 19-year-old.During the 2020 pandemic-induced lockdown period, Aman says that he couldn’t travel to his favorite jungles and wildlife destinations. So, he decided to turn his 1,500 sq ft terrace into a tiny jungle. This realization was a turning point in Aman’s life, who started going out for bird walks in the city. Eventually, these walks led him to realize that children of his age are missing out on a great opportunity to understand urban wildlife. 

Through his birding club and terrace garden, Aman not only brings nature closer to urban dwellers but also inspires young minds to embrace and understand urban wildlife, creating a thriving ecosystem within the cityscape.