On a moonless night, a group of Naga men set out in search of a missing buffalo. They carried torches to light up their path to the Jatinga ridge. As they reached the ridge, a volley of birds descended on them out of the black sky. The men fled, believing that the ridge was haunted by evil spirits. The next day, they left the area.
A few years later, when a group of Jantia Tribals came looking for a plot of land to settle in, local people pointed at the ridge.
Now, along the fateful ridge stands the Jatinga hamlet, dotted by the hillocks surrounding Haflong in the North Cachar Hills. The residents say their Christian faith protected them from superstitious beliefs and helped them settle in this land. But the scourge of the birds had not abandoned the area. The villagers, however, found a way to capitalise on it.
This scourge, popular but often mistakenly known as the “Jatinga Bird Suicides,” has catapulted this obscure little hamlet into discussions at international scientific forums. The strange event unique to the area occurs during the moonless nights of August and September when birds, in their hundreds, flock to the village, like moths to a flame. They often hit walls and are rendered motionless, or hover around the lanterns lit by the residents, becoming easy targets for the annual bird hunting carnival.
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