Before the sun rises, Ustad Javed goes to the roof of his house in Ratta Amral, to feed his pigeons, clean out their cages and let them out to fly. The 40-year-old pigeon keeper, who lives in downtown Rawalpindi, is well known as ustad. He looks after the birds from dawn to dusk – feeding them in the mornings and evenings, keeping them cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

In downtown Rawalpindi, many people keep pigeons as pets, and sometimes race them in pigeon race tournaments held two or three times in the summer and winter seasons. Huge pigeon cages can be seen lining the rooftops from Ratta to Purana Qila.

In these areas, pigeons can be seen flying all day. Occasionally, children are be spotted trying to find lost pigeons – a hobby for many residents of the inner city.

Pigeon-keeping has morphed into something of an industry, and has created jobs for many people. Shops specialising in cages, food, medication, herbs and even dyes for pigeons can be found across the garrison city.

Rawalpindi’s second pigeon tournament of the summer is also scheduled to be held on April 29, May 6 and May 13.

The organisers will collect Rs3,500 from each participant, and the owner of the winning pigeon will receive a motorcycle. The first runner-up will receive a fridge, and the second runner-up will receive a 32 inch LCD television.

Riazuddin, also known as Raja Pappa, explained: “It’s not betting, it’s a race.” He too, keeps pigeons on his roof. He added that there were three stages of pigeon training before the bird could participate in races.

“Like a wrestler, the pigeon needs training and good food. After the eggs hatch, the birds are kept in a separate cage and fed bajra, or seeds.” After three months, the pigeons are ready for the cage to be opened. He said: “During this period, the pigeons will learn about the house and practice how to fly in the open sky.”

“At this point, almonds, walnuts, desi ghee, grains and special herbs will be provided to them so they can strengthen their muscles and fly for many hours,” he said.

He said there are over 60 breeds of pigeon and the best one is known locally as the tedi kabootar, which can fly for 10 to 12 hours a day.

Mohammad Akram, a pigeon seller, said judging the pigeon race is a tiring endeavour, as one has to remain on the rooftops to note the time a pigeon flies off and lands throughout the day. He added that while people do bet on pigeons, it is not much of a business.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2016