Gujarat: Some ten years ago, Shambhu Bhai, a carpenter from Gujarat, took an oath to providing at least 51,000 birdhouses for free. The dedication for this endeavour comes from his deep love for birds. He has successfully achieved his goal, and in this article, he shares about his inspiring journey. 

Who is Shambhu Bhai?

Shambhu Bhai is a resident of Dhangdhra, Gujarat. He makes a living through carpentry. He acquired the skills from his father. He was dedicated towards studies as a kid and excelled in sports as well. However, due to financial constraints, he could not complete his higher education and had to make carpentry his occupation. Today, his financial conditions have improved because of his hard work over the years. 

The initiative

Shambhu shares that in the year 2013, he made a cardboard nest for birds. Initially, it was home to just one bird, however, several other birds began frequenting the nest. It caused the nest to fall, and the eggs inside it broke. He witnessed the distress of the bird that kept returning to the damaged nest. Sambhu found it disheartening. This incident led him to create sturdy nests for birds and distribute them for free so that people could put them in their balconies or terraces for birds. 

Support from people

Despite the low earnings from carpentry, Shambhu bears the cost of making nests on his own. He has a small furniture workshop; he utilizes leftover wood from furniture production to create bird nests. The cost of one nest amounts to Rs 90 and he distributes around 700 to 800 bird nests in a month. Through social media, he requests people to make discarded wood available to him, which helps him to continue with his initiative. 

Gaining recognition

It is heartening to note that Shambhu Bhai has gained recognition beyond his local community. He receives orders from different states through social media. Following verification of the person, Shambhu sends the nests to interested people, with the only expense being the courier charges.

His dedication to bird welfare has garnered attention from various organizations. He is often invited as the chief guest at events like Environment Day, Water Day, Sparrow Day, where Shambhu distributes his nests among the common public.