‘Not Bad Omens’: A wedding tries to dispel myths in Pune, send a message about protecting owls

“I know they are considered a bad omen. But we find them elusive and fascinating… ,” say Hrishikesh, a sound designer with a gaming company, and Sayali, a writer.

“Protecting the environment is an issue close to our heart and we thought this was one of the ways we could draw attention to how owls have been stigmatised by the society,” said the avid bird watchers.

“ We did not print invitation cards as we wanted to send a message about saving paper, as well as saving trees and saving birds. Not a single flower has been used in our wedding decorations…,” says Sayali.

The idea of sending a wedding invite via WhatsApp and e-mail initially met with resistance from Sayali and Hrishikesh’s parents, but they relented later, when the couple managed to convince them that this was the best message they could send about protecting the environment.

“We had read about various superstitions linked to these birds, which were cleared after undergoing an ornithology course this year. We decided to incorporate our love for birds, specially owls, in this special occasion. It is an important platform for us to convey to our friends and relatives that there is a need to conserve the environment,” says Hrishikesh.

Dr Satish Pande, ornithologist and founder of Ela Foundation, which conducts the ornithology course along with Garware College, lauded the unique initiative by Hrishikesh and Sayali. He explained that owls are commonly found in trees near graveyards, so they are wrongly associated with death and black magic. In fact, Pande and other ornithologists have come out with an 80-page comic book that aims at promoting awareness about these nocturnal birds, and the need to protect them.

“They are birds with special adaptations to suit a nocturnal life style… we have wrongly shrouded them in superstition,” said Pande.