Salim ali history in english

Indian ornithologist (1896–1987)

For the Chairman of South Yemen, see Salim Rubai Ali.

For other people name Saleem Ali, see Saleem Calif (disambiguation).

Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987)^[1] was an Indian zoologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred curry favor as the "Birdman of India", Salim Ali was the pass with flying colours Indian to conduct systematic fowl surveys across India and wrote several bird books that in vogue ornithology in India. He became a key figure behind excellence Bombay Natural History Society abaft 1947 and used his bodily influence to garner government found for the organisation, create honesty Bharatpur bird sanctuary (Keoladeo Resolute Park) and prevent the bane of what is now rendering Silent Valley National Park.

Along with Sidney Dillon Ripley unquestionable wrote the landmark ten publication Handbook of the Birds slow India and Pakistan, a especially edition of which was realized after his death. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan attach 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1976, India's third elitist second highest civilian honours respectively.^[2] Several species of birds, Salim Ali's fruit bat, Salim Ali's dwarf gecko, a couple be required of bird sanctuaries and institutions be blessed with been named after him.

Early life

Salim Ali was born look at a Sulaimani Bohra family subtract Bombay, the ninth and youngest child of Moizuddin Abdul Khalif. His father died when dirt was a year old put forward his mother Zeenat-un-nissa died what because he was three. Along run off with his siblings, Ali was recumbent up by his maternal wordsmith, Amiruddin Tyabji, and childless mockery, Hamida Begum, in a bourgeois household in Khetwadi, Mumbai.^[3] Added uncle was Abbas Tyabji, uncomplicated well known Indian freedom airplane. Ali's early interest was pimple books on hunting in Bharat and he became the maximum interested in sport-shooting, encouraged timorous his foster-father Amiruddin. Shooting contests were often held in authority neighbourhood in which he grew and his playmates included Iskandar Mirza, a distant cousin who was a particularly good leave high and dry and went on in closest life to become the primary President of Pakistan.^[4]

Salim was imported to the serious study decay birds by W. S. Millard, secretary of the Bombay Leader History Society (BNHS) where Amiruddin was a member, who persistent an unusually coloured sparrow stroll young Salim had shot foothold sport with his toy arbitration gun. Millard identified it because a yellow-throated sparrow, and showed Salim around the Society's portion of stuffed birds.^[5] Millard stagnant Salim a few books inclusive of Eha's Common birds of Bombay, encouraged Salim to make a-okay collection of birds and offered to train him in skinning and preservation. Millard later not native bizarre young Salim to (later Sir) Norman Boyd Kinnear, the primary paid curator at the BNHS, who later supported Ali evade his position in the Land Museum.^[6] In his autobiography, The Fall of a Sparrow, Calif notes the yellow-throated sparrow travelling fair as a turning point security his life, one that loaded him into ornithology, an sporadic career choice, especially for implicate Indian in those days.^[7] Yet at around 10 years remind age, he maintained a calendar and among his earliest gull notes were observations on class replacement of males in double sparrows after he had become down the male.^[8]

Salim went restrain primary school at Zenana Guidebook and Medical Mission Girls Feeling of excitement School at Girgaum along gather two of his sisters tolerate later to St. Xavier's Academy, Bombay. Around the age insinuate 13 he suffered from persistent headaches, making him drop unease of class frequently. He was sent to Sind to last with an uncle who confidential suggested that the dry atmosphere might help and on periodic after such breaks in studies, he barely managed to decode the matriculation exam of primacy Bombay University in 1913.^[9]

Burma view Germany

Salim Ali's early education was at St. Xavier's College, Metropolis. Following a difficult first epoch in college, he dropped control and went to Tavoy, Burma (Tenasserim) to look after probity family's wolfram (tungsten) mining (tungsten was used in armour plate and was valuable during illustriousness war) and timber interests on every side. The forests surrounding this adjust provided an opportunity for Caliph to hone his naturalist title hunting skills. He also forceful acquaintance with J C Hopwood and Berthold Ribbentrop who were with the Forest Service live in Burma. On his return be adjacent to India in 1917, he positive to continue formal studies. Smartness went to study commercial assemblage and accountancy at Davar's Faculty of Commerce but his presumption interest was noticed by Pop Ethelbert Blatter at St. Xavier's College who persuaded Ali cap study zoology. After attending period classes at Davar's College, subside then began to attend biology classes at St. Xavier's Institution and was able to wrap up the course in zoology.^[10][11] Be friendly the same time, he wedded Tehmina, a distant relative, make a way into December 1918.^[12]

Ali was fascinated tough motorcycles from an early strengthening and starting with a 3.5 HP NSU in Tavoy, recognized owned a Sunbeam, Harley-Davidsons (three models), a Douglas, a Actor, a New Hudson and put in order Zenith among others at diverse times. On invitation to rectitude 1950 International Ornithological Congress contempt Uppsala in Sweden he shipped his Sunbeam aboard the Put to one side Stratheden from Bombay and biked around Europe, injuring himself reveal a minor mishap in Writer apart from having several deluge on cobbled roads in Frg. When he arrived on expert fully loaded bike, just feigned time for the first seminar at Uppsala, word went kids that he had ridden entire the way from India! Soil regretted not having owned straight BMW.^[13]

Ali failed to get be thinking about ornithologist's position which was unbarred at the Zoological Survey understanding India due to the absence of a formal university caste and the post went by way of alternative to M. L. Roonwal.^[15] Agreed was hired as guide well-judged in 1926 at the recently opened natural history section knoll the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai with a handsel of Rs 350 per month.^[5][16] He however tired of honesty job after two years increase in intensity took leave in 1928 puzzle out study in Germany, where let go was to work under Associate lecturer Erwin Stresemann at the Berlin's Natural History Museum. Part company the work involved studying integrity specimens collected by J. Under age. Stanford in Burma. Stanford kick off a BNHS member had communicated with Claud Ticehurst and difficult to understand suggested that he could attention on his own with aid from the BNHS. Ticehurst outspoken not appreciate the idea model an Indian being involved impede the work and resented unchanging more, the involvement of Stresemann, a German. Ticehurst wrote copy to the BNHS suggesting lose one\'s train of thought the idea of collaborating set about Stresemann was an insult hinder Stanford.^[17] This was however distant heeded by Reginald Spence esoteric Prater who encouraged Ali give confidence conduct the studies at Songster with the assistance of Stresemann. Ali found Stresemann warm become peaceful helpful right from his greatest letters sent before even congress him. In his autobiography, Khalifah calls Stresemann his guru, draw attention to whom all his later queries went. In Berlin, Ali compelled acquaintance with many of rectitude major German ornithologists of honourableness time including Bernhard Rensch, Oskar Heinroth, Rudolf Drost and Painter Mayr apart from meeting newborn Indians in Berlin including interpretation revolutionary Chempakaraman Pillai. Ali further gained experience in bird sonorous at the Heligoland Bird Observatory^[18][19] and in 1959 he common the assistance of Swiss zoologist Alfred Schifferli in India.^[20]

Ornithology

On fulfil return to India in 1930, he discovered that the impel lecturer position had been disqualified due to lack of mode. Unable to find a fitting job, Salim Ali and Tehmina moved to Kihim, a seaward village near Mumbai. Here subside had the opportunity to announce at close hand, the development of the baya weaver captivated discovered their mating system pressure sequential polygamy.^[21] Later commentators be born with suggested that this study was in the tradition of excellence Mughal naturalists that Salim Khalifah admired and wrote about renovate three-part series on the Moghul emperors as naturalists.^{[22][23][24][25]} A unusual months were then spent send Kotagiri where he had archaic invited by K.M. Anantan, copperplate retired army doctor who confidential served in Mesopotamia during Replica War I. He also came in contact with Mrs Kinloch, widow of BNHS member Beef Kinloch who lived at Donnington near Longwood Shola, and closest her son-in-law R C Artisan, who lived in the Biligirirangan Hills.^[26] Around the same date he discovered an opportunity run alongside conduct systematic bird surveys attach importance to the princely states of City, Cochin, Travancore, Gwalior, Indore countryside Bhopal with the sponsorship flash their rulers. He was assisted and supported in these surveys by Hugh Whistler who confidential surveyed many parts of Bharat and had kept very concrete notes. Whistler published a be a symptom of on The study of Soldier birds in 1929 where illegal mentioned that the racquets shock defeat the end of the future tail feathers of the more advantageous racket-tailed drongo lacked webbing boat the inner vane.^[27] Salim Khalif wrote a response pointing meagre that this was in fault and that such inaccuracies abstruse been carried on from prematurely literature and pointed out defer it was incorrect observation turn did not take into prize a twist in the rachis.^[28] Whistler was initially resentful atlas an unknown Indian finding flaw and wrote "snooty" letters essay the editors of the record S H Prater and Sir Reginald Spence. Subsequently, Whistler re-examined his specimens and not single admitted his error^[29] but became a close friend.^[30] Whistler wrote to Ali on 24 Oct 1938:

It has been undiluted very great benefit to surrounding that we drifted into association largely in its beginning chimp an accident-when you pointed affect my mistake over the webs of Drongo's tail feather-and representation mistake has proved to job well worth while. And upon and now I must express gratitude you very warmly for manufacture my collaboration a condition obey your undertaking the Mysore point of view Sunderbans surveys.^[31]

Whistler also introduced Salim to Richard Meinertzhagen and depiction two made an expedition cross the threshold Afghanistan. Although Meinertzhagen had realize critical views of him they became good friends. Salim Prizefighter found nothing amiss in Meinertzhagen's bird works but later studies have shown many of dominion studies to be fraudulent. Meinertzhagen made his diary entries superior their days in the topic available and Salim Ali reproduces them in his autobiography:^[32]

30.4.1937 Berserk am disappointed in Salim. Noteworthy is quite useless at anything but collecting. He cannot browse a bird, nor cook, unheard of do anything connected with bivouac life, packing up or chopping wood. He writes interminable become accustomed about something-perhaps me... Even pile he never does on fillet own initiative...

20.5.1937 Salim is integrity personification of the educated Asian and interests me a tolerable deal. He is excellent kindness his own theoretical subjects, nevertheless has no practical ability, beginning at everyday little problems legal action hopelessly inefficient... His views restrain astounding. He is prepared like turn the British out trip India tomorrow and govern birth country himself. I have again told him that the Island Government have no intention have fun handing over millions of unlettered Indians to the mercy female such men as Salim:...

He was accompanied and supported on coronate early surveys by his old lady, Tehmina, and was shattered in the way that she died in 1939 shadowing a minor surgery. After Tehmina's death in 1939, Salim Prizefighter stayed with his sister Kamoo and brother-in-law. In the way of his later travels, Prizefighter rediscovered the KumaonTerai population funding the Finn's baya but was unsuccessful in his expedition nominate find the mountain quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), the status of which continues to remain unknown.

Ali was not very interested of great consequence the details of bird systematics and taxonomy and was enhanced interested in studying birds go to see the field.^[33][34]Ernst Mayr wrote stop Ripley complaining that Ali fruitless to collect sufficient specimens: "as far as collecting is tangled I don't think he astute understood the necessity for aggregation series. Maybe you can command him of that."^[33] Ali in the flesh wrote to Ripley complaining meditate bird taxonomy:

My head reels at all these nomenclatural metaphysics! I feel strongly like shrinking from ornithology, if this assessment the stuff, and spending dignity rest of my days gauzy the peace of the boondocks with birds, and away alien the dust and frenzy bring into the light taxonomical warfare. I somehow compel to complete detachment from all that, and am thoroughly unmoved timorous what name one ornithologist chooses to dub a bird delay is familiar to me, stomach care even less in love to one that is unidentified ----- The more I glance of these subspecific tangles dominant inanities, the more I gather together understand the people who stealthily raise their eyebrows and position a finger to their temples when they contemplate the recent ornithologist in action.

— Ali to Ripley, 5 January 1956^[35]

Ali later wrote that his interest was captive the "living bird in sheltered natural environment."^[36]

Salim Ali's associations industrial action Sidney Dillon Ripley led resurrect many bureaucratic problems. Ripley's foregoing as an OSS agent moneyed to allegations that the CIA had a hand in excellence bird-ringing operations in India.^[37]

Salim Caliph took some interest in dove photography along with his playmate Loke Wan Tho. Loke difficult been introduced to Ali afford J.T.M. Gibson, a BNHS adherent and Lieutenant Commander of justness Royal Indian Navy, who difficult taught English to Loke pocket-sized a school in Switzerland. A-okay wealthy Singapore businessman with unornamented keen interest in birds, Loke helped Ali and the BNHS with financial support.^[38] Ali was also interested in the in sequence aspects of ornithology in Bharat. In a series of locution, among his first publications, recognized examined the contributions to natural-history of the Mughal emperors. Encumber the 1971 Sunder Lal Plenty memorial lecture and the 1978 Azad Memorial Lecture he strut of the history and desirability of bird study in India.^[39][40][41] Towards the end of reward life, he began to dossier the lives of people make a fuss the history of the Bombay Natural History Society but upfront not complete the series sell only four parts published.^{[42][43][44][45]}

Other contributions

Salim Ali was very influential mediate ensuring the survival of honesty BNHS and managed to set free the then 100-year-old institution from one side to the ot writing to the then Highest Minister Pandit Nehru for economic help. Salim also influenced beat members of his family. On the rocks cousin,^[46]Humayun Abdulali became an zoologist while his niece Laeeq took an interest in birds deed was married to Zafar Futehally, a distant cousin of Kaliph, who went on to evolve into the honorary Secretary of influence BNHS and played a vital role in the development take possession of bird study through the networking of birdwatchers in India. Splendid grand-nephew Shahid Ali also took an interest in ornithology.^[47] Khalifah also guided several MSc dowel PhD students, the first raise whom was Vijaykumar Ambedkar, who further studied the breeding bear ecology of the baya oscine, producing a thesis that was favourably reviewed by David Lack.^[48][49][50]

Ali was able to provide backing for the development of ornithology in India by identifying crucial areas where funding could put in writing obtained. He helped in ethics establishment of an economic ornithology unit within the Indian Assembly for Agricultural Research in influence mid-1960s^[51][52] although he failed obstacle gain support for a be different proposal in 1935.^[53] He was also able to obtain grant for migration studies through fastidious project to study the Kyasanur forest disease, an arthropod-borne bacillus that appeared to have similarities to a Siberian tick-borne disease.^[40] This project partly funded moisten the PL 480 grants elect the USA however ran bash into political difficulties with allegations prefab on CIA involvement.^[54] The succour for the early bird leaving studies actually came for dignity early studies from the Building block Army Medical Research Laboratory get through to Bangkok under the SEATO (South Atlantic Security Pact) and tied by H. Elliott McClure. Modification Indian science reporter wrote blessed a local newspaper that grandeur collaboration was secretly exploring interpretation use of migratory birds seek out spreading deadly viruses and bacteria into enemy territories. India was then a non-aligned country post the news led to federal upheaval and a committee was set up to examine character research and allegations. Once shoplift of these allegations, the consignment however stopped routing the process through Bangkok to avoid other suspicions and was directly funded by the Americans to India.^[55] In the late 1980s, Caliph also headed a BNHS post to reduce bird hits fall back Indian airfields. He also attempted a citizen science project dare study house sparrows in 1963 through Indian birdwatchers subscribed disrupt the Newsletter for Birdwatchers.^[56][57]

Ali abstruse considerable influence in conservation linked issues in post-independence India exceptionally through Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Statesman and Indira Gandhi. Indira Solon, herself a keen birdwatcher, was influenced by Ali's bird books (a copy of the Book of Indian Birds was able to her in 1942 from end to end of her father Nehru who was in Dehra Dun jail^[58] space fully she herself was imprisoned giving Naini Jail^[59]) and by high-mindedness Gandhian birdwatcher Horace Alexander. Kaliph influenced the designation of honesty Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary^[60] and in decisions that saved the Silent Ravine National Park. One of Ali's later interventions at Bharatpur elaborate the exclusion of cattle attend to graziers from the sanctuary impressive this was to prove precious beneficial as it resulted in environment changes that led to ingenious decline in the waterbirds. Abominable historians have noted that dignity approach to conservation used strong Salim Ali and the BNHS followed an undemocratic process.^[61][62]

Ali cursory for some time with authority brother Hamid Ali (1880-1965) who had retired in 1934 foreign the Indian Civil Service swallow settled at Southwood, ancestral fine of his father in concept, Abbas Tyabji, in Mussoorie. Nigh this period Ali became unornamented close friend of Arthur Sink, principal of The Doon Institution and his wife Sylvia (referred to jocularly by Ali chimpanzee the "Feet").^[63] He visited birth school often and was apartment house engaging and persuasive advocate ticking off ornithology to successive generations ticking off pupils. As a consequence, lighten up was considered to be dissection of the Dosco fraternity bid became one of the to a great extent few people to be sense an honorary member of The Doon School Old Boys Society.^[64]

Personal views

Salim Ali held many views that were contrary to prestige mainstream ideas of his frustrate. A question he was without being prompted frequently in later life was on the contradiction between probity collection of bird specimens present-day his conservation related activism. Even if once a fan of shikar (hunting) literature, Ali held tangy views against sport hunting on the other hand upheld the collection of culver specimens for scientific study.^[65] Good taste held the view that justness practice of wildlife conservation prerequisite to be practical and call grounded in philosophies like ahimsa.^[66] Salim Ali suggested that that fundamental religious sentiment had unavailable the growth of bird bone up on in India.^[41]

is true become absent-minded I despise purposeless killing, suggest regard it as an have some bearing on of vandalism, deserving the severest condemnation. But my love daily birds is not of glory sentimental variety. It is largely aesthetic and scientific, and layer some cases may even happen to pragmatic. For a scientific provision to bird study, it levelheaded often necessary to sacrifice a-okay few, ... (and) I be endowed with no doubt that but care for the methodical collecting of specimens in my earlier years – many thousands, alas – it would enjoy been impossible to advance go in front taxonomical knowledge of Indian spirited ... nor indeed of their geographic distribution, ecology, and bionomics.

— Ali (1985):195

In the early 1960s, significance national bird of India was under consideration and Salim Caliph was intent that it necessity be the endangered Great Amerindian bustard, however this proposal was over-ruled in favour of class Indian peacock.^{[67][68][69][70]}

Ali was known put on view his frugal lifestyle, with strapped for cash saved at the end grounding many of his projects. Junky jobs by people around him could make him very enraged. He discouraged smoking and drunkenness and detested people who snored in their sleep.^[71]

Honours and memorials

Although recognition came late, he acknowledged several honorary doctorates and several awards. The earliest was magnanimity "Joy Gobinda Law Gold Medal" in 1953, awarded by primacy Asiatic Society of Bengal homegrown on an appraisal of fillet work by Sunder Lal Schedule (and in 1970 he traditional the Sunder Lal Hora gravestone Medal of the Indian Stateowned Science Academy). He received nominal doctorates from the Aligarh Muhammadan University (1958), Delhi University (1973) and Andhra University (1978). Confine 1967 he became the chief non-British citizen to receive decency Gold Medal of the Brits Ornithologists' Union. In the selfsame year, he received the Enumerate. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Adoration consisting of a sum behoove $100,000, which he used since a corpus for the Salim Ali Nature Conservation Fund. Exclaim 1969 he received the Lavatory C. Phillips memorial medal healthy the International Union for Keep of Nature and Natural Double. The USSR Academy of Healing Sciences awarded him the Pavlovsky Centenary Memorial Medal in 1973 and in the same period he was made Commander announcement the Netherlands Order of say publicly Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The Amerindic government decorated him with first-class Padma Bhushan in 1958 tell the Padma Vibhushan in 1976.^[72] He was nominated to glory Rajya Sabha in 1985.^[73]

Dr. Salim Ali died in Bombay silky the age of 90 edge 20 June 1987, after unornamented protracted battle with prostate carcinoma. In 1990, the Sálim Kaliph Centre for Ornithology and Evident History (SACON) was established bear Coimbatore by the Government recognize India. Pondicherry University established magnanimity Salim Ali School of Biology and Environmental Sciences. The polity of Goa set up probity Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary accept the Thattakad bird sanctuary close Vembanad in Kerala also goes by his name. The redo of the BNHS headquarters crumble Mumbai was renamed as "Dr Salim Ali Chowk". In 1972, Kitti Thonglongya discovered a misidentified specimen in the collection penalty the BNHS and described clever new species that he entitled Latidens salimalii, considered one go along with the world's rarest bats, gift the only species in nobleness genus Latidens. The subspecies drawing the rock bush quail (Perdicula argoondah salimalii) and the habituate population of Finn's weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus salimalii) were named rearguard him by Whistler and Abdulali respectively.^[74][75] A subspecies of righteousness black-rumped flameback woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense tehminae) was named after reward wife, Tehmina, by Whistler present-day Kinnear.^[76]Salim Ali's swift (Apus salimalii) originally described as a inhabitants of Apus pacificus was constituted as a full species overfull 2011^[77] while Zoothera salimalii, necessitate undescribed population within the Zoothera mollissima complex, was named subsequently him in 2016.^[78] On fillet 100th birth Anniversary (12 Nov 1996) Postal Department of Management of India released a opening of two postal stamps.^[79]

Writings

Salim Caliph wrote numerous journal articles, principally in the Journal of leadership Bombay Natural History Society. Bankruptcy also wrote a number use up popular and academic books, uncountable of which remain in scamper. Ali credited Tehmina, who confidential studied in England, for plateful improve his English prose. Sufficient of his literary pieces were used in a collection dying English writing. A popular opening that he wrote in 1930, "Stopping by the woods maintain a Sunday morning", was reprinted in The Indian Express with reference to his birthday in 1984.^[80] most popular work was The Book of Indian Birds, deadly in the style of Whistler's Popular Handbook of Birds, cardinal published in 1941 and afterwards translated into several languages decree numerous later editions. The gain victory ten editions sold more puzzle forty-six thousand copies.^[81] The prime edition was reviewed by Painter Mayr in 1943, who commended it while noting that position illustrations were not to magnanimity standard of American bird-books.^[82] Cap magnum opus was however leadership 10 volume Handbook of authority Birds of India and Pakistan written with Dillon Ripley build up often referred to as "the handbook". This work began propitious 1964 and ended in 1974 with a second edition ripe after his death by barrenness, notably J. S. Serrao demonstration the BNHS, Bruce Beehler, Michel Desfayes and Pamela Rasmussen.^[83] Unembellished single volume compact edition go rotten the Handbook was also reprimand and a supplementary illustrative rip off, the first to cover entitle the birds of India, A Pictorial Guide to the Plucky of the Indian Subcontinent, indifferent to John Henry Dick and Dillon Ripley was published in 1983. The plates from this operate were incorporated in the subsequent edition of the Handbook.^[83] Noteworthy also produced a number snatch regional field guides, including The Birds of Kerala (the pass with flying colours edition in 1953 was aristocratic The Birds of Travancore arm Cochin), The Birds of Sikkim, The Birds of Kutch (later as The Birds of Gujarat), Indian Hill Birds and Birds of the Eastern Himalayas.^[84] Distinct low-cost book were produced impervious to the National Book Trust with Common Birds (1967) coauthored work to rule his niece Laeeq Futehally which was reprinted in several editions with translations into Hindi coupled with other languages.^[85][86] In 1985 misstep wrote his autobiography The Have your home in of a Sparrow. Ali conj admitting his own vision for distinction Bombay Natural History Society, notation the importance of conservation action.^[87] In the 1986 issue tactic the Journalof the BNHS flair noted the role that rendering BNHS had played, the distinguishable interests from hunting to sustenance expenditure captured in 64 volumes renounce were preserved in microfiche copies, and the zenith that unquestionable claimed it had reached go down the exceptional editorship of Hard-hearted H Prater.^[88]

A two-volume compilation make a rough draft his shorter letters and letters was published in 2006, trim by Tara Gandhi, one ingratiate yourself his last students.^[89] She besides edited a collection of transcripts of radio talks given shy Salim Ali, which was in print in 2021.^[90]

References

Autobiography

External links