Clipped Wings
In Uttar Pradesh's Etawah and Mainpuri regions, a newly-married couple is shown a pair of sarus cranes (Grus antigone). The elegant birds which mate for life are revered by people here. Sighting a pair of the cranes bodes well for marital bliss, they believe. The sarus's conjugal devotion has been celebrated in folklore, elsewhere, and has even inspired literature. For example, many versions of the Ramayana begin with a sarus cursing king Dasratha for slaying its mate.

We no longer see saruses in our fields.” It’s not just this bird. KIRTIMAN AWASTHI notes that with wetlands drying, grasslands coming under the plough and toxins entering food chains, bird populations are plummeting all over the world.