Chasing horizons

By: Rajesh RajagopalanHow do you spot an ardent pigeon fancier? In the middle of an outdoor conversation, if someone’s eyes often drift up to the blue sky, you are probably speaking with one.

Their love for pigeons and commitment to caring for birds will amaze you.Meet Saju AP of Malappuram, an IT professional by day, whose evenings are devoted to pigeons. He loves breeding pigeons as much as he loves coding. Rain or shine, he reaches his pigeon loft on time every day. Saju inherited his father’s interest in pigeon breeding.“I have always had a passion for pigeon breeding. I regained my interest, which was lost while building my career in IT, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Now I regularly participate in pigeon flying competitions,” says Saju.Saju introduces me to Hamsa Koya, a veteran pigeon fancier with more than four decades of experience. He is the president of Parava Trainers, an association of pigeon fanciers. Koya specializes in ‘time in the sky’ competitions testing pigeon endurance—how long they can circle their home loft.“There are two competition types: Limited and unlimited. In limited competitions, pigeons are released at 5.58am and must return by 7.30pm.

Unlimited competitions, where pigeons stay airborne as long as possible, are relatively new here,” explains Koya. Umpires, experienced breeders themselves, visit participating teams’ lofts to ensure fairness. If a pigeon disappears for over an hour, it is disqualified.

However, birds get a two-hour bonus if bad weather forces them into clouds.Kerala’s longest flight record, 33.28 hours, was set in Palakkad.

In Malabar, Falcon United of Parappanangadi holds the record at 20 hours, 9 minutes. Performance pigeons require nutritious diets of almonds, raisins, and peanuts.“Unlike elsewhere in India, society here looks down on pigeon fanciers. We rarely get family support. Yet this hobby demands tremendous responsibility, patience, dedication, and empathy. We never mistreat our pigeons. We feed them well and never restrict their instinct to fly,” says Koya.While Koya and Saju focus on high flying, Saju’s brother Sudesh AP, a school staff member, revels in pigeon racing. His birds have flown from far-off places to Malappuram, traversing hundreds of kilometers. He also breeds fancy pigeons prized for appearance rather than racing skills.“Once, my pigeon took off from Goa but didn’t return within the expected time. At midnight, I got a call from a fisherman far off Mangaluru’s coast.

My exhausted pigeon had landed on his boat. I pleaded with him to feed it, and after eating, it flew home,” recalls Sudesh.Long-distance racing, globally popular but new to Malabar, uses Racing Homers—a specialized breed. Birds are transported far from their lofts and released. The winner covers the measured distance at highest speed, calculated by dividing distance by time. Rafeeq Salvo (Salvo is his loft’s name) from Thanaloor pioneered long-distance racing in Kerala.

As a founding member and president of the Kerala Racing Pigeon Association and a founding member of the Malabar Racing Pigeon Club, he set a record in July 2025 when his pigeon flew from Kalyan, Mumbai, to his home loft in 18 hours.Starting in 2015 and competing from 2018, Rafeeq explains that racing uses apps and bird bands instead of umpires. Kerala’s racing trend began with one-loft racing, where multiple fanciers’ pigeons train together in a single loft.

“When pigeons fall ill, India lacks govt-approved, pigeonspecific medicines. We rely on costly imports or local poultry medicines,” says Rafeeq. Prize money doesn’t cover expenses—transportation alone sometimes costs Rs 30,000.

He hopes the authorities will recognize pigeon racing as a legal sport.The blue sky may appear calm from the ground; however, it harbours dangers. Predators like accipiters (locally called Erladan) and falcons threaten flying pigeons. Fanciers feel helpless watching raptors snatch their beloved birds. After all, nature’s laws remain beyond us.“If you’re a true pigeon fancier, you’re so addicted to these birds that vices like alcohol or drugs never cross your mind,” says Koya, his eyes drifting skyward to scan for flying pigeons.(The writer is an advertising creative director and independent journalist)