Where compassion, greenery go together

Visakhapatnam: In this day and age, as cities turn into jungles of concrete, one house in Visakhapatnam stands out from the rest. Parrot Palace, as the house is popularly known is markedly different in that it houses a flock of parrots amid lush green plants and trees and has become a major attraction for bird lovers in the city.

• Parrot Mansion, owned by Reddy houses 700 parrots
• His compassion towards the birds attracted more of them to his fold
• Reddy’s house turns into popular destination for bird lovers in city

The proud owner of the house, Laxmi Narayana Reddy has in fact come to be known as ‘Chilakala’ Reddy. According to him, initially, some parrots made their nests on the trees in the house. He used to keep rice and vegetables on the premises of his house to ensure that the parrots need not go anywhere else in search of food. More and more parrots got attracted with the passage of time and started visiting the house for food. Later, the parrots became permanent residents. Parrot Palace now houses about 700 birds.

Reddy starts his day by offering 5 kg of rice as feed to the parrots. Immediately after opening the main door of the house, the chirping parrots flock to him, which is a pleasant beginning to the day for him, says Reddy. His wife, Saila Kumari, also a bird lover extends her total support to Reddy in caring for the parrots. On his return from work in the evening, Reddy is welcomed by the parrots.

He relaxes in their company after the day’s work. Speaking to The Hans India, Reddy said: ``I am against caging birds as it amounts to curtailing their freedom. Flora and fauna need to be protected to preserve biodiversity. If we protect nature, it protects us from the harmful effects of pollution. Caring for birds and domestic animals helps us to overcome the stress associated with the busy modern lifestyles as it makes everyone com passionate.’’

By S Anuradha​