Look up in the sky. There you see them. Black and white and brown and grey. Flying in circles over your head. Following each other and the wave of a white cloth on a distant rooftop. Pigeons – no longer the dirty vermin of the sky, but majestic kings of the clouds.

Pigeon keeping is still very popular in Old Delhi – a sport that started in the Mughal times. With cages on the roof and diets of dried fruit and desi ghee, these pigeons are treated like part of the family. And everyday, many times a day, they are released to fly around, coordinated and trained, only to fly home again when asked.