India, Jan. 7 -- The first chill of winter creeps over Jahangirnagar University (JU) and suddenly almost like a whispered promise the lakes begin to wake in their familiar appearance.

A lone bird, a traveller, from a land thousands of miles away from here, cuts through the morning mist. Its tired wings tremble with exhaustion, its journey carved with storms and dark nights. And as it lands softly on the still water of the lake, the campus exhales because this single arrival marks the beginning of a miracle that repeats only once every year.

Within hours, the silence breaks. The sky rises. The lakes shimmer with life. Thus, the JU campus transforms into a sanctuary where the world's wandering birds, battered by distance yet relentless in...