Refined and simplified title: The Birdman

Noor Nobi, a broken man with no reason to live, wanders the streets of Calcutta. His three children, snatched from him in a cruel accident, were everything he worked for and loved. One day, he enters a crowded market and sees a bird caged, frightened, and sick. Despite having very little money, he waits until the vendor is closing up and quickly bargains for the sickly bird. The vendor accepts his offer, happy to get anything for the bird.

For some inexplicable reason, it is important for Noor Nobi to nurse the bird back to health. When the bird is finally able to fly, he takes it to a big Banyan tree and releases it. Only then is he able to weep and fully grieve for his children. Before he knows it, he is back at work, taking his earnings to the market, where he continues to buy, heal, and free as many birds as he can.

Crowds gather; some laugh and say he is crazy, some stand reverently, and some don’t know what to think. Noor Nobi’s kindness saves a growing number of birds, and in turn, the birds give him a new purpose.

Author Veronika Martenova Charles read a short newspaper article about the "Birdman" of Calcutta, and her imagination took flight. She traveled to India, found Noor Nobi, and witnessed the freeing of the birds for herself. The Birdman is a touching, true story, tenderly illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko and Stéphan Daigle. It is accompanied by an afterword, diary entries, and photographs of the author’s experience.

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