Batting for fruit bats, Sampatti residents say no to firecrackers

Thousands of mammals nest in the fruit trees growing out of the ruins of a temple located near Balraj’s house

Sampatti village, located on the outskirts of Manapparai town, will remain tranquil this Deepavali, as it has for the past nine years — all for a lofty cause.

The residents are playing samaritan to a large population of fruit bats nesting on a cluster of trees on the property of a farmer.

A. Balraj shifted to a house nestled between large trees, near his ancestral property, years ago. The remains of a temple dedicated to his family deity too stands here, and from its ruins grow several large peepal trees, on which thousands of bats nest.