Gathia is a popular Gujerati snack – deep-fried chickpea flour crispies that are favourite with every Mumbaikar. Oftentimes the mere mention of the word sets us drooling.

Now, what, you may ask, is the connection between the Gathias and the Seagulls?

Every winter the migratory gulls stopover in Mumbai like many of our own ‘snowbirds’. When the summer comes they fly back to cooler climes.

Unfortunately, these birds have become so fat and lazy feeding on the ‘gathia’ that they stay back only to die once temperatures rise.

One day, I was driving down Marine Drive with Little Po and Ms. Papaya. Suddenly, Little Po shouted to Ms. Papaya, “Look the sky is filled with ‘gathias’

I couldn’t see a single ‘gathia’ in the sky. It was filled with seagulls though. The twiblilngs were enthusiastically counting the ‘gathia’ when the penny dropped.

A few weeks earlier,  Wow Dinga’s class had to spend one Sunday afternoon on Chowpatty beach and stop ardent bird ‘lovers’ from feeding the seagulls ‘gathias”.

So the next time Wow Dinga spotted some one feeding Seagulls on the beach he ran ahead and stopped him from feeding him.

The school is doing something right making the children aware that we should protect the earth and save birds like the Seagulls that make Mumbai their winter home.

Don’t you think so?

Ciao

I’m participating in the AtoZ2020 Challenge, a month-long blog hop where participants post 26 posts, one for every Alphabet, every day except Sundays.

Do join me as I share my adventures with my Little People.

The photo for featured Image is taken from here