Vallithai

Genre – Docufiction
Running Time – 32 Minutes
Year of Release- 2016
Script & Direction – P R Sreekumar
Twelve-year-old Balpandi was cycling back home from school that rainy evening. A baby bird
lying by the bus stop caught his attention. It was a painted stork, a wader bird that would grow
up to be a long-legged beauty someday — if it survived. The little one had fallen off the nest,
and there were no signs that its mother would take it back. Balpandi took it home with him and
raised it till it was fit enough to fly away.

Thus began S. Balpandi’s 40-year-long association with birds. The 58-year-old is an

unconventional ornithologist. He didn’t go to college; he didn’t even finish school. But he
knows birds like the back of his hand. The reason — his village of Koonthankulam in
Tirunelveli district. Koonthankulam sounds like the stuff dreams are made of. When Balpandi
talks about it, his eyes light up.

Balpandian with a Grey Pelican Vallithai Balpandian -photo by P R Sreekumar

‘Vallithai’, the docu-fiction on late Vallithai, who along with her husband Balpandyan took up
the onerous task of protecting birds in the Koonthakulam village in Tamil Nadu.

The 32-minute-long ‘Vallithai’ tells the story of Vallithai and Balpandyan who loved
migratory birds more than anything. Vallithai lived in Koonthakulam which has been a haven
for migratory birds for almost two centures. Balpandyan has been a bird-watcher. A support
and strength to her husband, Vallithai, besides taking care of birds, also found time to instill
the message of preservation of nature and protection of birds in children.
It is the story of the villagers of Koonthakulam as well. Vallithai passed away on July 17,
2008.
In the docu-fiction, while Balpandyan himself portrayed the role of Balpandyan, Kala
Gokuldas, a dancer, did the role of Vallithai. Other artists are Rajan Kallar, Rajesh Kumar and
Seena Swaminathan. Lyrics and songs are by Balpandyan. Videography is by Anand Unni and
P R Sreekumar. Chandrasekhar V has done the editing. Murali Krishna has composed the
music.

Dancer Kala Gokuldas as Vallithai in “Vallithai”

It is believed that it has been more than 200 years since the migratory birds started coming to
Koontakulam. Villagers also wait to welcome the migratory birds. These natives are the
protectors of the birds, treating them like members of the family until the visiting birds lay their
eggs, wait till they hatch and return with their young. Balpandyan's wife Vallithai was the mother
who took the responsibility of raising the baby birds right from their birth. Vallithai, who loved
birds more than her own children, gradually became the heartbeat of Koontakulam village.

Koontakulam Bird Sanctuary

Koontakulam is the main sanctuary of Tamil Nadu for migratory birds. It is a scenic village in the
southern part of Tirunelveli district. The village of Koontakulam gained world attention when the
birds and the humans who protect them came together. There are about 173 species of birds in
Koontakulam including 19 species of birds like Flamingo, Cargani, Bar Headed Goose coming
from abroad, Painted Stork, Pelican, Spoon Bill and other indigenous birds from different parts of
India.

Mother of Birds

The Orange Woman Self Help (Orange Makalir Suya Utavi Kulu) Group came from Vallitha's
thought that there should be a solution to the suffering of Koontakulam women. Vallithai, who
led Orange for ten years, devised and implemented schemes to provide funding for the education
of its children, marriage of girls, self-employment, and treatment of the elderly and
women. Worked to create environmental awareness among children and women and to impress
upon them the importance of bird conservation and nature conservation. With their cooperation,
more than a thousand trees were planted in Koontakulam.

In 1995, she had to undergo heart surgery, but Vallithai survived. She sacrificed her life for the
people and birds of Koontakulam. On July 17, 2008, the heart failed to survive a second
surgery. When Vallithai breathed her last at the Madurai Rajaji Hospital, the hearts of Vallithai's
beloved babies flying around the world must have been touched for a moment. Her life was full
of sincerity. The void created by the demise of Valallitai, which had depended on hundreds of
people and birds, was immense. There is no one to replace Vallithai, who has made sacrifices to
look after her family of four children, to take care of her family of four children, and to buy fish
for the injured birds in their care, on the meager income of Balpandian, who has now been
appointed as a bird keeper at the Koontakulam bird sanctuary.