World Pigeon Day: Sujoy Majumdar From Tezpur Preserves 700 Different Species At His Home
A man has been preserving about 700 pigeons at his home in Tezpur. He has 12 of the world's most expensive Belgian homing pigeons.
Published : June 13, 2025 at 4:35 PM IST
|Updated : June 13, 2025 at 8:42 PM IST
By Pranab Kumar Das
Tezpur: The Pigeon is used as a symbol of peace and is celebrated on a specific day around the world. Today is World Pigeon Day, and is celebrated annually on June 13. It is a celebration since June 13, 1919, to honour the famous WWI homing pigeon 'Cher Ami' who died on this day.
Sujoy Majumdar, a member of the Kolkata Nimka pigeon club, has been preserving several species of homing birds for the last 39 years. He has 12 of the world's most expensive Belgian homing pigeons.
Majumder currently raises 700 birds of eight species at his home in Chanmari, Tezpur. Majumdar was attracted to these birds since childhood, as a result, he has been raising various species of birds from around the world in his home for the past 39 years. The most expensive species of bird in his house is a Homing bird at Rs 1.2 lakh, and the cheapest is a high-fly bird at Rs 3,000 per birds. Homing Pigeons, mostly Belgian species, was sold for Rs 14 crore in 2024, Majumder said.
Why June 13 is important: Celebrating this day on June 13 is of special importance. In 1918, after a special pigeon mission saved about 200 members of the "Lost Battalion" of the United States Army, the pigeon named 'Cher Ami' became a real war hero. Despite being injured during that time, the bird successfully delivered vital messages during the Battle of the Argonne.
Cher Ami was a heroic homing pigeon who served with the U.S. Army during World War I. It is best known for delivering an important message during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918 alerting U.S. forces to the location of the "Lost Battalion."
"Every year on this day, I celebrate this day by releasing my birds from different places. After flying, Homer and other pigeons return to my house from anywhere. They do not go to anyone's house except my house," said Majumder.
"Earlier in India, Pigeon-racing competitions were held in various states of India but later PETA India intervened and stopped them. Pigeons are the most attractive creation of God, they are loved by everyone for their gentle nature. Pigeons prefer a quiet environment. Parrots are very intellectual, birds that can protect or sense any unexpected event or disaster. In ancient times, parrots were used to send messages. It was used to send messages from one place to another, especially during the war," Majumder added.
He has eight species of exotic birds as well as Saharan Puri Allahabad, which are new species currently created in India. Homing birds, high-flying, Australian, English, Turkish (Turkey), and Afghanistan birds are available at Majumder's house.
Majumder raises these birds himself. Majumder knows what medicines are needed from preparing food to when and what medicines are needed. “I get a lot of peace of mind when pigeons fly above me. I feel like I'm flying in the sky," he said.
