CMI Arts Initiative Talk
Date: Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Venue: Seminar Hall
Salim Ali and Wildlife Conservation in India
Tara Gandhi
Wild Trust of India.
23-08-23
Abstract
The name Salim Ali has long been synonymous with birds and with the
conservation of Indian birdlife. Well known as "India’s Birdman" or
the "Greatest Indian Ornithologist" Salim Ali was responsible for
establishing ornithology as an academic subject in India, a science
that was virtually unknown in the country at that time. He brought
into focus not only bird study but the importance of interdisciplinary
studies of the natural ecosystems that are wildlife habitats,
encompassing botany, entomology, economics, bio-geography as well as
behavioral sciences and ethology.
Salim Ali came from a privileged background, yet he preferred not to
join his family’s lucrative businesses and chose a tough outdoor
life. He took on major ornithological surveys all over the country,
spending months camping in rough field conditions. The detailed
records he kept of his observations during these expeditions were the
basis for his 10 Volume Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan,
which is still a valued reference.
This talk traces the life and work of a Padma Vibhushan awardee and
Rajya Sabha member, Salim Ali, who could engage with people from all
walks of life. An influential figure who persuaded those in power to
take action for wildlife conservation. Salim Ali was an institution
builder, a teacher who expected the highest standards by setting an
example with his own meticulous work, yet looking at nature with
almost child-like wonderment. While his focus was largely on birds, it
is clear that he was interested in all forms of wildlife, particularly
concerned about the deterioration of their habitats. His views on
wildlife conservation reflect issues that are contemporary and
relevant even today.
About the speaker:
Tara Gandhi is a former student of Dr. Salim Ali, having done her MSc
in Field Ornithology with a fellowship from The Bombay Natural History
Society (BNHS). Since then she has worked for biodiversity
conservation programs with several national and international
organisations -- the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, World
Wildlife Fund, M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, and the National
Biodiversity Authority in Chennai. She has conducted extensive status
studies of protected areas all over India, including in the Andaman &
Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands, as well as surveys of urban fauna.
Currently, Tara is Vice-Chair of the Wildlife Trust of India, an
Executive Committee member of the Madras Naturalists’ Society, a
member of the Conservation Committee of her alma mater BNHS and serves
on the Institutional Ethics Committee of IIT Madras. The author of
books, scientific and popular articles on birds, wildlife and ecology,
Tara is the editor of collections of Dr. Salim Ali's papers, articles
and radio talks. Needless to say, she takes every opportunity to go
out birdwatching.
