Rich winter migratory birds in thousands have become victim of Kurukshetra Utsav in Haryana, India

The present work proclaims that a very-very rich diversity of winter migratory birds from across the Himalayas used to arrive in Brahmsarovar-a holy wetland in Kurukshetra (29° 57′ 36″ N, 76° 49′ 48″ E). In all, 36 species of wetland birds belonging to 8 orders and 11 families were observed from Brahmsarovar during 2005-10. However, due to the introduction of an annual festival, mainly Kurukshetra- Utsav, the number and diversity of these birds has been doomed. The main causative factors are play of fire workers dance and drama events, beating of drums and Nagaras, state level exhibition for a fortnight and above all massive crowds of people who throng Brahmsarovar to enjoy the fabulous cultural events arranged in a very magnanimous way by Govt. of Haryana. It is a case of paradox and dilemma of choosing between two good events wherein one seems better than the other i.e. Biodiversity conservation verses cultural diversity integration. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v7i1.7962 International Journal of Life Sciences 7(1): 2013; 6-11