--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had become something of a bird man – a…" description: "\"“I had become something of a bird man – a passion that has remained with me – and could tell a Himalayan griffon from a bearded vulture and could ident..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/arundhati-roy-346_love-for-animals_i-had-become-something-of-a-bird-man-a-p_346311.png" --- # I had become something of a bird man – a passion that has… ![“I had become something of a bird man – a passion that has remained with me – and could tell a Himalayan griffon from a bearded vulture and could identify the streaked laughing thrush, the orange bullfinch, Tytler’s leaf warbler and the Kashmir flycatcher, which was threatened then, and must surely…” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/arundhati-roy-346_love-for-animals_i-had-become-something-of-a-bird-man-a-p_346311.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/arundhati-roy-346_love-for-animals_i-had-become-something-of-a-bird-man-a-p_346311.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/arundhati-roy-346_love-for-animals_i-had-become-something-of-a-bird-man-a-p_346311.png) > ““I had become something of a bird man – a passion that has remained with me – and could tell a Himalayan griffon from a bearded vulture and could identify the streaked laughing thrush, the orange bullfinch, Tytler’s leaf warbler and the Kashmir flycatcher, which was threatened then, and must surely by now be extinct. The trouble with being in Dachigam was that it had the effect of unsettling one’s resolve. It underlined the futility of it all. It made one feel that Kashmir really belonged to those creatures. That none of us who were fighting over it – Kashmiris, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese (they have a piece of it too – Aksai Chin, which used to be part of the old Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir), or for that matter Pahadis, Gujjars, Dogras, Pashtuns, Shins, Ladakhis, Baltis, Gilgitis, Purikis, Wakhis, Yashkuns, Tibetans, Mongols, Tatars, Mon, Khowars – none of us, neither saint nor soldier, had the right to claim the truly heavenly beauty of that place for ourselves. I was once moved to say so, quite casually, to Imran, a young Kashmiri police officer who had done some exemplary undercover work for us. His response was, ‘It’s a very great thought, Sir. I have the same love for animals as yourself. Even in my travels in India I feel the exact same feeling – that India belongs not to Punjabis, Biharis, Gujaratis, Madrasis, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, but to those beautiful creatures – peacocks, elephants, tigers, bears . . .’ He was polite to the point of being obsequious, but I knew what he was getting at. It was extraordinary; you couldn’t – and still cannot – trust even the ones you assumed were on your side. Not even the damn police.”” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on the profound, shared reverence for Kashmir's wildlife, suggesting that no human claim can rightfully own its natural beauty. **In simple terms:** Nature belongs to all, not to any single group. Key Takeaway Respect and protect wildlife over territorial disputes. Themes environment politics identity conservation conflict Mood reflective somber hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - wildlife photography - environmental activism - policy advocacy - conflict resolution Key Concepts ecology nationalism human‑nature relationship Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have to protect shared ecosystems? - How can diverse communities unite over environmental stewardship? A Different Perspective Human claims often ignore ecological value, leading to exploitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love for animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-for-animals/) [Police officer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-officer/) ## Related quotes > [“India belongs not to Punjabis, Biharis, Gujaratis, Madrasis, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, but to those beautiful creatures—peacocks, elephants, tigers, bears…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/india-belongs-not-to-punjabis-biharis-gujaratis-madrasis-muslims/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It's an amazing feeling Whenever you do well for India, it is a great feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuzvendra-chahal/it-s-an-amazing-feeling-whenever-you-do-well-for-india-it-is-a-great/) [Yuzvendra Chahal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuzvendra-chahal/) > [It was a tremendous feeling to get the India Test cap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayank-agarwal/it-was-a-tremendous-feeling-to-get-the-india-test-cap/) [Mayank Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayank-agarwal/) > [India belongs to Indians of all kinds. Efforts to undermine this fact will only take our country backwards and destroy our hard-fought freedom. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pinarayi-vijayan/india-belongs-to-indians-of-all-kinds-efforts-to-undermine-this-fact/) [Pinarayi Vijayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pinarayi-vijayan/) > [I can only paint in India. 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Love for animals, love for the planet, and love for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mischa-temaul/vegan-is-just-pure-love-love-for-animals-love-for-the-planet-and-love/) Mischa Temaul > [“Love nature and be kind to animals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/love-nature-and-be-kind-to-animals/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“A Robin Redbreast in a Cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. 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They were supremely tolerant of my inordinate love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-grew-up-in-the-large-house-and-the-larger-garden-of-my-parents-in/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Women who work with animals hear this all the time: that their love for animals must arise out of a sublimated child-rearing urge. Ana's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/women-who-work-with-animals-hear-this-all-the-time-that-their-love/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. 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Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. 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Ana's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/women-who-work-with-animals-hear-this-all-the-time-that-their-love/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [Vegetarianism is the best way of expressing love for animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-dev/vegetarianism-is-the-best-way-of-expressing-love-for-animals/) [Rahul Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-dev/) > [“A Robin Redbreast in a Cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. A dove house fill’d with doves and pigeons Shudders Hell thro’ all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/a-robin-redbreast-in-a-cage-puts-all-heaven-in-a-rage-a-dove-house-2/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Animals are a huge part of my life, so yes, if you are going to be a part of my life, you would need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ostrosky-stern/animals-are-a-huge-part-of-my-life-so-yes-if-you-are-going-to-be-a/) [Beth Ostrosky Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ostrosky-stern/) > [Let's all save animals.. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darkver/let-s-all-save-animals/) DArkver > [I grew up in the large house and the larger garden of my parents in Altenberg. They were supremely tolerant of my inordinate love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-grew-up-in-the-large-house-and-the-larger-garden-of-my-parents-in/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Since I was a kid, I inherited my dad's love for animals and wildlife, even for the ones we had around the house in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurent-baheux/since-i-was-a-kid-i-inherited-my-dad-s-love-for-animals-and-wildlife/) [Laurent Baheux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurent-baheux/) > [“Love nature and be kind to animals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/love-nature-and-be-kind-to-animals/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Vegan is just pure love. Love for animals, love for the planet, and love for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mischa-temaul/vegan-is-just-pure-love-love-for-animals-love-for-the-planet-and-love/) Mischa Temaul > [“When man chooses to develop his innate power of communication with nature and therefore hear the voice, all will be right with the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-helfer/when-man-chooses-to-develop-his-innate-power-of-communication-with/) [Ralph Helfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-helfer/) > [“The University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic accepted native wild animals in need of care due to illness and injury, or because they'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-garvis-graves-2/the-university-of-illinois-wildlife-medical-clinic-accepted-native/) [Tracey Garvis Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-garvis-graves-2/) > [My love for animals started before I can remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-reed/my-love-for-animals-started-before-i-can-remember/) [Nikki Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-reed/) > [Throughout my career, I've always portrayed characters that were humorous, but also weren't afraid to speak their minds, especially when it came to racy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/throughout-my-career-i-ve-always-portrayed-characters-that-were/) [Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/) [Browse all 14 Love for animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-for-animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I had become something of a bird man – a passion that has remained with me – and could tell a Himalayan griffon from a bearded vulture and could identify the streaked laughing thrush, the orange bullfinch, Tytler’s leaf warbler and the Kashmir flycatcher, which was threatened then, and must surely by now be extinct. The trouble with being in Dachigam was that it had the effect of unsettling one’s resolve. It underlined the futility of it all. It made one feel that Kashmir really belonged to those creatures. That none of us who were fighting over it – Kashmiris, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese (they have a piece of it too – Aksai Chin, which used to be part of the old Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir), or for that matter Pahadis, Gujjars, Dogras, Pashtuns, Shins, Ladakhis, Baltis, Gilgitis, Purikis, Wakhis, Yashkuns, Tibetans, Mongols, Tatars, Mon, Khowars – none of us, neither saint nor soldier, had the right to claim the truly heavenly beauty of that place for ourselves. I was once moved to say so, quite casually, to Imran, a young Kashmiri police officer who had done some exemplary undercover work for us. His response was, ‘It’s a very great thought, Sir. I have the same love for animals as yourself. Even in my travels in India I feel the exact same feeling – that India belongs not to Punjabis, Biharis, Gujaratis, Madrasis, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, but to those beautiful creatures – peacocks, elephants, tigers, bears . . .’ He was polite to the point of being obsequious, but I knew what he was getting at. It was extraordinary; you couldn’t – and still cannot – trust even the ones you assumed were on your side. 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