How this peacock changed the name of a village

The village of Morachi Chincholi in Maharashtra gets its name from the 2000 peacocks whove made it their homeIts a sight that stands out against a vast brown landscape dotted with shrubs About 225 kms from Mumbai on the PuneAhmednagar Highway is a lone green island of tamarind treesu00a0But this is not just one of the many oases along Maharashtras highways Under the shade of these trees over 2000 peacocks live in harmony in a village with a population of roughly 2000 people An interesting statistic surfaces ufffd one peacock for every villager Proud as a Peacock Peacocks prefer to graze in isolation They are very individualistic and not known to mix well with other domesticated birds or animalsSo the story goes ufffdFour generations ago a farmer discovered that a pair of peacocks had descended from theu00a0 hills nearby and made this idyllic village their permanent home He grew fond of these pets kept track of their movements stumbling upon two observations in the process every morning and late evening this pair would graze in the open farmlands nibbling on wheat green gram jowar and spring onions More importantly they took refuge in the dense branches of the lone tamarind tree to protect themselves from the sweltering afternoon sunThe farmer a devout follower of Khandoba incarnation of Shiva known for his love for peacocks believed that these feathered visitors were a godsend He called a meeting of likeminded farmers under the shade of this tamarind tree where three important decisions were taken ufffd tamarind trees would be planted so when peacocks breed their entire flock will be sheltered in the heat streams must never run dry save water and dig small waterholes around the village during harsh summersu00a0Finally every farm that cultivates five kilos of grain must produce eight kilos The surplus three kilos would be kept aside for the peacocks irrespective of floods or droughtsu00a0These three tenets have been followed by four generations of farmers Today a few hundred tamarind trees in the village provide dense canopies for the peacocks to roostWelcome to the partyMorachi Chincholi whentranslated from Marathi means Tamarind trees for peacocks In fact today nobody remembers what the earlier name of the village was When we drove down to this village we expected to see peacocks everywhere like domesticated ducksThats when we were told by local resident Sanjay Navale that their famous residents were wild peacocks who roamed freely in open spaces However at high noon they rested on tamarind trees and climbed down only after sunset When the sun lost its bite the peacocks descended from tree tops walking nonchalantly into the farmlands to graze and nibble at the food set aside by the villagersWe saw them grazing at an arms length of farmers working in the field Watching these magnificent birds descend against the backdrop of the setting sun was priceless In these magic hours sunlight brushed their vibrant plumage adding a fluid shimmer Despite their beautiful appearance these birds possess a loud and coarse mating callSavingu00a0the BirdAn organisation called Jai Malhar Krishi Paryatan Kendra has made it easy for nature lovers to witness this amazing act of conservation Theyve built a complex on 25 acres of land that promotes agritourismu00a0Small rustic cottages give urban folk a taste of rustic living Headed by Maharashtra Krishibhooshan Award Winner Advocate Gorde this group is serious about responsible tourismu00a0This is clearly underlined by the fact that the place is strictly vegetarian and prevents consumption of alcoholThe approach adopted by Morachi Chincholis villagers to guard these natural assets is a lesson in wildlife protection A bunch of kids took us to meet these peacocks While trying to capture a peacock perched on a tamarind tree the eight yearold girl cautioned me Dont get too close you will frighten them I chided myself for forgetting that I had my telelens for closeupsWe didnt spot poachers known to kill peacocks for their feathers in the name of souvenirs of Lord Krishna The network of local sleuths keep track of outsiders and any attempt is thwarted aggressively by villagersu00a0The next time you spot someone buying a peacock feather from the poacherturnedseller spare a thought that a peacock might have been killed in the process If this alarming trend continues it wont be too long before our national bird is phased into extinction Morachi Chincholi has managed in its own small way to demonstrate how using local support can propel preservationContact infomorachichincholicom for details on stay at the agritourism centre within Morachi ChincholiBelieve it or not1 Despite weighing between 46 kgs the male peacock is one of the largest flying birds when the combined length of its train and its large wingspan are considered Its body measures 90 to 130 cm while its tail is 5 feet long2 The distinctive train is more than 60 percent of the peacocks total body length 3 In Indian mythology the peacock represents Indra the god of thunder rains and war In south India it is regarded as a vahana vehicle of MurugaHow to reachBy road Take the PuneAhmednagar highway and turn left at Shikrapur Proceed Ganegaon village which is 10 kms from Shikrapur At Ganegaon turn left to take an uneven 10 kmlong road to reach Morachi Chincholi Alternatively take the MumbaiPune Expressway exit at Talegaon proceed to Chakan from where you could drive up to ShikrapurBy rail Board any MumbaiPune passenger train or South SouthCentral bound long distance train to reach Pune Drive down to the village taking the PuneAhmednagar Highway thereafter