Tag Archives: Dr Salim Ali

Book review. Living with Birds: The memoir of One of India’s Greatest Ornithologists

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UTTAR PRADESH :

A memoir about birds, conservation and much more.

I first met Asad Rahmani in the late 1990s, when he was the director of the prestigious BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society), and did a few conservation-linked stories after talking to him. But I had been hearing a lot about him before that from my friend Rajat Bhargava, who had been mentored by Rahmani at AMU (Aligarh Muslim University), and would sing his praises day in and out. Rahmani encouraged Rajat to do research on the Finn’s Baya and later on the Green Munia.

It was Rajat who alerted me about Dr Rahmani’s memoirs Living with Birds. I owe him thanks because it is a captivating read – not only is it a fascinating personal history of an unusual man and the milieu he grew up in, but also packs in so much about conservation, the importance of science, birds, their habitat and the challenges they faced. Through Rahmani’s birding trips, the reader also gets to armchair travel to a great many places from Kashmir to Lakshadweep.

In wildlife circles, Rahmani is synonymous with the endangered Great Indian Bustard, a bird for which he undertook a padayatra. His love for bustards even took him abroad to Morocco and later to Saudi Arabia, where as an expert he was called to see if he could be part of a team to find the Arabian bustard, which had been declared extinct in 1977.

Idyllic childhood

The early part of the book is devoted to his childhood, which sounds idyllic, growing up as he did in large homes in several UP towns ranging from Meerut, Rampur, Badaun, and Saharanpur as his father was a district judge.

His early days reminds you of Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals, what with six siblings, two German Shepherds, a mountain goat (the Himalayan goral), parakeet, fish, poultry, toads, larvae that turn into dragonflies, and many more. Rahmani had his nose buried in books or spent time observing the natural world and doing accidental experiments. For instance, he rescued a peahen’s eggs and placed them under a domestic hen and the confusion that ensued when the pea-chicks hatched and mama hen had a hard time is really funny.

From a young age Rahmani could stand up to authority, and make his own decisions — evident when he refused to accompany his family when they were invited to dinner at the Nawab of Rampur’s palace (his Left-leaning sensibility was offended), or when he stood his ground against his father who wanted him to study engineering and even wasted a year, before being allowed to take up biology, or the way he took on a warden at AMU for shooting a peacock. An atheist, he also went through a hippie phase (minus the drugs) when the movement was at its peak in India.

The conservation work

If the childhood chapters are fascinating the meat of the book – Rahmani’s conservation work on birds and their habitats – is pure gold. You get a ringside view of the discussions and exchanges between him and stalwarts like JC Daniels, Dr Salim Ali and many others. Rahmani is generous in the way he highlights the works of several conservationists, and also affectionately his students. Yes, Rajat figures and I chuckled to see Rahmani did not spare some of his exasperating habits. His admiration for Indira Gandhi also shines through as he highlights how no other PM was as concerned about wildlife as her.

You get a whole bunch of fascinating information on the Floricans (the Lesser and the Bengal), the swiftlet, the hornbill, etc. The chapter on the vulture crisis especially resonated with me as I remember the huge discussions when the raptors declined in Delhi and surrounding areas.

Parallely, you get a picture of the big events in India. The way Rahmani links the events, the fear of Skylab falling, the solar eclipse of 1980 when everyone fearfully stayed indoors while he himself went into the field to see how birds responded to the eclipse is compelling. When Indira Gandhi was assassinated, Rahmani and Salim Ali were in Nannaj, chasing the Great Indian Bustard where news reached them, and he describes the anguish that Salim Ali felt very movingly.

A word about the publishers is in order. This book is published jointly by Juggernaut and Indian Pitta, India’s first dedicated book imprint for bird and nature lovers and conservationists. The deft touch of Anita Mani, the founder of Indian Pitta is evident. While this book will enthral bird lovers, there is much in it to fascinate the general reader too.

Check out the book on Amazon.

About the book :

Title: Living with Birds: The memoir of One of India’s Greatest Ornithologists / Author: Asad Rahmani / Publisher: Juggernaut/ Indian Pitta / Price: ₹599

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line, The Hindu / HOme> Books> Book Review / by Chitra Narayanan / December 01st, 2024

Dive into Dr. Salim Ali’s world at Bombay Natural History Society’s exhibition

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Business & Economy, Events, Exhibitions, Conferences (wef. Nov 18th, 2021), Leaders, Museums, Libraries (wef. April 16th, 2022), , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA:

The ongoing exhibition on iconic birder Dr Salim Ali at Bombay Natural History Society offers rare insight into the meticulous life of the man who shaped India’s avian conservation programme.

Dive into Dr. Salim Ali's world at Bombay Natural History Society's exhibition
Barure (in saree) guides a visitor

In the quiet landmark of Hornbill House at Fort, a buzz is slowly developing. On International Bird Week (November 5 to November 12), the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is celebrating one of the pioneers of Indian ornithology, Dr Salim Ali, with an exhibition from his personal archives. Today might be the last opportunity to peek into the life of a man whose efforts paved the way for conservation study in the country.

Dr Salim Ali. File pic
Dr Salim Ali. / File pic

“Research and conservation were two very important facets of his life,” shares Kishor Rithe, director, BNHS. The exhibition brings to fore his professional expanse and personal meticulousness. The collection was brought together by curator and BNHS librarian, Nirmala Barure. The work began in 2014, she reveals. “The process is still ongoing since it is such a monumental record of correspondence, research and notes over a period of 60 years,” Barure remarks.

The tape recorder used by Dr Ali to record bird sounds
The tape recorder used by Dr Ali to record bird sounds

The theme for the exhibition, Rithe adds, is a focus on the layman. It includes correspondence to prime ministers, policy makers, as well as people on the ground — from forest officials to students and villagers. Barure points out that the correspondence also has some touching personal moments.

His filming equipment. Pics/Atul Kamble
His filming equipment. Pics/Atul Kamble

“There are greeting cards from Mrinalini Sarabhai, and a commendation letter from the famed botanist Ethelbert Blatter of St Xaviers’ College,” she notes. One of the more remarkable objects was a complaint written by Dr Salim Ali to a Bandra neighbour — Yusuf Khan aka Dilip Kumar — complaining about the noise the latter’s watchman made in the night.

A letter written by Dr Salim Ali to Dilip Kumar from 1975
A letter written by Dr Salim Ali to Dilip Kumar from 1975

Then, there is his equipment — from typewriters and cameras to telescopes and lenses. “While technology has advanced, this equipment is proof of how challenging it was for the early pioneers to make audio visual records and document their studies,” Rithe notes. Among the equipment on display is a rare find of 16mm films, shot by Dr Ali during his many journeys, that were preserved by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

Dr Ali’s portable typewriter
Dr Ali’s portable typewriter

The society is already in the process of dedicating a space to honour Dr Ali’s collection. Rithe shares, “This year, we plan to begin renovation work on the space, and will dedicate some part of it to Dr Salim Ali’s collection. This exhibition is just a rehearsal of those plans.” For now, visitors would want to hurry to Hornbill House to catch a glimpse of the rare treasure trove. 

A collection of Dr Ali’s correspondence
A collection of Dr Ali’s correspondence

On: Today; 10 am to 5 pm
At: BNHS, Hornbill House, opposite Lion Gate, Fort.
Call: 9594953425 
Log on to: bnhs.org

Kishore Rithe
Kishore Rithe

source: http://www.mid-day.com / mid-day.com / Home> Mumbai Guide News> Things to do News/ Article / by Shriram Iyengar (shriram.iyengar@mid-day.com) / November 10th, 2023

Ornithologist Salim Ali’s Forgotten Radio-casts Now Come ‘Alive’ in Book

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali’s forgotten radio-casts now come ‘alive’ in a book. /
In memory of Ornithologist Dr Salim Moizuddin Ali.

Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.

Mumbai :

In a unique initiative, the forgotten radio broadcasts of legendary ornithologist, the late Dr Salim Ali have been compiled and brought ‘alive’ in a book form, which will be released on November 12, marking the 125th birth anniversary of the ‘Birdman of India’.

Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.

The book — “Words For Birds” — edited by renowned author Tara Gandhi, comprises all the 35 broadcasts of Dr Ali on All India Radio (AIR) — from British India to Independent 1980s — probably unheard of by most people in the current century.

“I had worked with Dr Salim Ali for long… I have even worked on his other papers and documents and I came across these broadcasts that are well-preserved by BNHS,” the book editor Gandhi told IANS briefly, as the book awaits official release.

It will be unveiled as part of the ongoing 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the great ornithologist conferred with the Padma Vibhushan (1976), at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS, founded 1883), said Education Officer Raju Kasambe.

The 35 talks that comprise “Words For Birds” were broadcast over 45 years, between 1941-1985, revealing Dr Ali’s exceptional skills both as an oral communicator and a passionate bird propagandist.

“The object of these talks is really to interest listeners, in the first instance for the healthy pleasure and satisfaction bird watching affords rather than for its intrinsic scientific possibilities,” the ornithologist had said of his radio transmissions.

The enthralling radiocasts, in a story-telling style, cover a wide range — bird habits and habitats, risks they face, the crucial role of avian in nature’s cyclic processes, how they benefit agriculture, unseen or little understood contributions to the economy, etc.

On his passion, Dr Ali said how 50 years ago bird watching in India was nowhere as popular, or indeed respectable, as it has become now, and in his younger days he would time and again fall in with persons who left him with a feeling, as they withdrew, that they were inwardly tapping a pitying finger on their foreheads.

“Their first glimpse of me very often was, it is true, of a distinctly shabby khaki-clad individual of the garage mechanic type, wandering leisurely and rather aimlessly about the countryside and surreptitiously peeping into bushes, and holes in tree-trunks and earth banks…” said the legend modestly.

Though he had focussed mainly on birds in his radio talks, it is evident that he was interested in all forms of wildlife and contemporary conservation issues, too, with each talk reading like a short essay, and the reader can even glance randomly through it to be immensely educated and entertained.

Dr Ali’s best-sellers from his massive collection include “Book Of Indian Birds” and the monumental 10-volume “Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan” (co-authored with S. Dillon Ripley), “The Birds of Kutch”, “Indian Hill Birds”, “Birds of Kerala”, “The Birds of Sikkim”, and his autobiography, “The Fall of a Sparrow”.

The book editor Gandhi was guided by Dr Ali for MSc (Field Ornithology), and she works for biodiversity conservation, conducts surveys to document birds and other wildlife in India.

Besides scientific and popular articles on nature and ecology, she has penned several books like “Birds, Wild Animals and Agriculture: Conflict and Coexistence in India” and edited the two-volume “A Bird’s Eye View: The Collected Essays and Shorter Writings of Salim Ali”.

Published by Black Kite and Hachette, “Words For Birds” (256 pg/Rs.599) will soon be available from BNHS and Amazon platforms. — IANS

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> India> Life> Books / November 05th, 2021