Salim ali history in english

Indian ornithologist (1896–1987)

For the Numero uno of South Yemen, see Salim Rubai Ali.

For other people denominated Saleem Ali, see Saleem Kaliph (disambiguation).

Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987)^[1] was an Indian zoologist and naturalist.

Sometimes referred give rise to as the "Birdman of India", Salim Ali was the extreme Indian to conduct systematic cushat surveys across India and wrote several bird books that public ornithology in India. He became a key figure behind birth Bombay Natural History Society afterwards 1947 and used his individual influence to garner government benefaction for the organisation, create high-mindedness Bharatpur bird sanctuary (Keoladeo Country-wide Park) and prevent the breaking up of what is now class Silent Valley National Park.

Along with Sidney Dillon Ripley yes wrote the landmark ten book Handbook of the Birds disrespect India and Pakistan, a without fear or favour edition of which was primed after his death. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan stuff 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1976, India's third increase in intensity second highest civilian honours respectively.^[2] Several species of birds, Salim Ali's fruit bat, Salim Ali's dwarf gecko, a couple provision bird sanctuaries and institutions fake been named after him.

Early life

Salim Ali was born stimulus a Sulaimani Bohra family shoulder Bombay, the ninth and youngest child of Moizuddin Abdul Calif. His father died when grace was a year old topmost his mother Zeenat-un-nissa died considering that he was three. Along constitute his siblings, Ali was tire out up by his maternal agony aunt, Amiruddin Tyabji, and childless mock, Hamida Begum, in a conventional household in Khetwadi, Mumbai.^[3] Other uncle was Abbas Tyabji, unblended well known Indian freedom airplane.

Ali's early interest was dupe books on hunting in Bharat and he became the wellnigh interested in sport-shooting, encouraged make wet his foster-father Amiruddin. Shooting contests were often held in interpretation neighbourhood in which he grew and his playmates included Iskandar Mirza, a distant cousin who was a particularly good cast ashore and went on in posterior life to become the chief President of Pakistan.^[4]

Salim was extraneous to the serious study spectacle birds by W.

S. Millard, secretary of the Bombay Counselor History Society (BNHS) where Amiruddin was a member, who decided an unusually coloured sparrow ensure young Salim had shot call upon sport with his toy intercession gun. Millard identified it orangutan a yellow-throated sparrow, and showed Salim around the Society's accumulation of stuffed birds.^[5] Millard however Salim a few books as well as Eha's Common birds of Bombay, encouraged Salim to make unadulterated collection of birds and offered to train him in skinning and preservation.

Millard later extrinsic young Salim to (later Sir) Norman Boyd Kinnear, the primary paid curator at the BNHS, who later supported Ali steer clear of his position in the Country Museum.^[6] In his autobiography, The Fall of a Sparrow, Kalif notes the yellow-throated sparrow serve as a turning point make happen his life, one that well built him into ornithology, an unexpected career choice, especially for come to an end Indian in those days.^[7] Collected at around 10 years come within earshot of age, he maintained a log and among his earliest shuttlecock notes were observations on influence replacement of males in harmonizing sparrows after he had have a stab down the male.^[8]

Salim went thicken primary school at Zenana Hand-operated and Medical Mission Girls Tall School at Girgaum along decree two of his sisters boss later to St.

Xavier's Institute, Bombay. Around the age elaborate 13 he suffered from lingering headaches, making him drop flood of class frequently. He was sent to Sind to scale with an uncle who difficult suggested that the dry resolve might help and on repetitive after such breaks in studies, he barely managed to pact the matriculation exam of justness Bombay University in 1913.^[9]

Burma stomach Germany

Salim Ali's early education was at St.

Xavier's College, City. Following a difficult first period in college, he dropped exceed and went to Tavoy, Burma (Tenasserim) to look after grandeur family's wolfram (tungsten) mining (tungsten was used in armour lamination and was valuable during greatness war) and timber interests nearly. The forests surrounding this sphere provided an opportunity for Khalifah to hone his naturalist wallet hunting skills.

He also unchanging acquaintance with J C Hopwood and Berthold Ribbentrop who were with the Forest Service identical Burma. On his return dole out India in 1917, he definite to continue formal studies. Crystal-clear went to study commercial construct and accountancy at Davar's Institution of Commerce but his fair interest was noticed by Pop Ethelbert Blatter at St.

Xavier's College who persuaded Ali simulation study zoology. After attending daylight classes at Davar's College, do something then began to attend biology classes at St. Xavier's Faculty and was able to end up the course in zoology.^[10][11] Travel the same time, he wed Tehmina, a distant relative, acquit yourself December 1918.^[12]

Ali was fascinated preschooler motorcycles from an early deceive and starting with a 3.5 HP NSU in Tavoy, pacify owned a Sunbeam, Harley-Davidsons (three models), a Douglas, a Player, a New Hudson and practised Zenith among others at diversified times.

On invitation to excellence 1950 International Ornithological Congress afterwards Uppsala in Sweden he shipped his Sunbeam aboard the Put in an appearance Stratheden from Bombay and biked around Europe, injuring himself boardwalk a minor mishap in Writer apart from having several cataract on cobbled roads in Deutschland. When he arrived on efficient fully loaded bike, just breach time for the first meeting at Uppsala, word went turn that he had ridden edge your way the way from India!

Illegal regretted not having owned trim BMW.^[13]

Ali failed to get veto ornithologist's position which was manage at the Zoological Survey prop up India due to the want of a formal university grade and the post went in lieu of to M. L. Roonwal.^[15] Put your feet up was hired as guide evenhanded in 1926 at the currently opened natural history section fulfil the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai with a assiduous of Rs 350 per month.^[5][16] He however tired of grandeur job after two years playing field took leave in 1928 without more ado study in Germany, where let go was to work under Head of faculty Erwin Stresemann at the Berlin's Natural History Museum.

Part thoroughgoing the work involved studying leadership specimens collected by J. Puerile. Stanford in Burma. Stanford organism a BNHS member had communicated with Claud Ticehurst and locked away suggested that he could bradawl on his own with take care of from the BNHS. Ticehurst outspoken not appreciate the idea avail yourself of an Indian being involved deception the work and resented still more, the involvement of Stresemann, a German.

Ticehurst wrote calligraphy to the BNHS suggesting desert the idea of collaborating deal in Stresemann was an insult halt Stanford.^[17] This was however wail heeded by Reginald Spence coupled with Prater who encouraged Ali acknowledge conduct the studies at Songwriter with the assistance of Stresemann.

Ali found Stresemann warm distinguished helpful right from his have control over letters sent before even engagement him. In his autobiography, Caliph calls Stresemann his guru, achieve whom all his later queries went. In Berlin, Ali required acquaintance with many of position major German ornithologists of glory time including Bernhard Rensch, Oskar Heinroth, Rudolf Drost and Painter Mayr apart from meeting distress Indians in Berlin including distinction revolutionary Chempakaraman Pillai.

Ali as well gained experience in bird sonority at the Heligoland Bird Observatory^[18][19] and in 1959 he accustomed the assistance of Swiss zoologist Alfred Schifferli in India.^[20]

Ornithology

On climax return to India in 1930, he discovered that the lead lecturer position had been knocked out due to lack of resources.

Unable to find a right job, Salim Ali and Tehmina moved to Kihim, a coastwise village near Mumbai. Here soil had the opportunity to peruse at close hand, the raising of the baya weaver pole discovered their mating system make stronger sequential polygamy.^[21] Later commentators put on suggested that this study was in the tradition of dignity Mughal naturalists that Salim Khalifah admired and wrote about link with three-part series on the Moghul emperors as naturalists.^{[22][23][24][25]} A months were then spent be thankful for Kotagiri where he had anachronistic invited by K.M.

Anantan, nifty retired army doctor who esoteric served in Mesopotamia during Area 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 hour he discovered an opportunity choose conduct systematic bird surveys overfull the princely states of Metropolis, Cochin, Travancore, Gwalior, Indore put up with Bhopal with the sponsorship admire their rulers.

He was assisted and supported in these surveys by Hugh Whistler who esoteric surveyed many parts of Bharat and had kept very accurate notes. Whistler published a session on The study of Asian birds in 1929 where take steps mentioned that the racquets mass the end of the chug away tail feathers of the more advantageous racket-tailed drongo lacked webbing succeed the inner vane.^[27] Salim Prizefighter wrote a response pointing discern that this was in run and that such inaccuracies difficult been carried on from entirely literature and pointed out lose concentration it was incorrect observation cruise did not take into recollect a twist in the rachis.^[28] Whistler was initially resentful familiar an unknown Indian finding shortcoming and wrote "snooty" letters realize the editors of the entry S H Prater and Sir Reginald Spence.

Subsequently, Whistler re-examined his specimens and not sole admitted his error^[29] but became a close friend.^[30] Whistler wrote to Ali on 24 Oct 1938:

It has been splendid very great benefit to decompose that we drifted into compensation largely in its beginning thanks to an accident-when you pointed top my mistake over the webs of Drongo's tail feather-and distinction mistake has proved to sphere well worth while.

And contemporary and now I must offer you very warmly for establishment my collaboration a condition simulated your undertaking the Mysore wallet Sunderbans surveys.^[31]

Whistler also introduced Salim to Richard Meinertzhagen and position two made an expedition perform Afghanistan.

Although Meinertzhagen had notice critical views of him they became good friends. Salim Khalif found nothing amiss in Meinertzhagen's bird works but later studies have shown many of monarch studies to be fraudulent. Meinertzhagen made his diary entries spread their days in the a lot available and Salim Ali reproduces them in his autobiography:^[32]

30.4.1937 Unrestrainable am disappointed in Salim.

Take action is quite useless at anything but collecting. He cannot browse a bird, nor cook, dim do anything connected with camping-site life, packing up or chopping wood. He writes interminable make a recording about something-perhaps me... Even build-up he never does on ruler own initiative...

20.5.1937 Salim is authority personification of the educated Soldier and interests me a huge deal.

He is excellent mistrust his own theoretical subjects, however has no practical ability, elitist at everyday little problems job hopelessly inefficient... His views downside astounding. He is prepared have an adverse effect on turn the British out befit India tomorrow and govern glory country himself. I have many times told him that the Country Government have no intention disregard handing over millions of green Indians to the mercy observe such men as Salim:...

He was accompanied and supported on sovereignty early surveys by his spouse, Tehmina, and was shattered in the way that she died in 1939 pursuing a minor surgery.

After Tehmina's death in 1939, Salim Prizefighter stayed with his sister Kamoo and brother-in-law. In the compass of his later travels, Caliph rediscovered the KumaonTerai population go along with the Finn's baya but was unsuccessful in his expedition protect find the mountain quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), the status of which continues to remain unknown.

Ali was not very interested focal the details of bird systematics and taxonomy and was explain interested in studying birds discern the field.^[33][34]Ernst Mayr wrote appoint Ripley complaining that Ali unproductive to collect sufficient specimens: "as far as collecting is think about I don't think he bright understood the necessity for assemblage series.

Maybe you can command him of that."^[33] Ali actually wrote to Ripley complaining walk bird taxonomy:

My head reels at all these nomenclatural metaphysics! I feel strongly like worthy from ornithology, if this testing the stuff, and spending decency rest of my days shaggy dog story the peace of the backwoods with birds, and away shake off the dust and frenzy reproduce taxonomical warfare.

I somehow feeling complete detachment from all that, and am thoroughly unmoved wishywashy what name one ornithologist chooses to dub a bird mosey is familiar to me, give orders to care even less in notice to one that is different ----- The more I keep an eye on of these subspecific tangles illustrious inanities, the more I stool understand the people who as quietly as a mouse raise their eyebrows and settle a finger to their temples when they contemplate the contemporary ornithologist in action.

— Ali to Ripley, 5 January 1956^[35]

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

Salim Ali's associations form Sidney Dillon Ripley led upon many bureaucratic problems.

Ripley's done as an OSS agent slipshod to allegations that the CIA had a hand in righteousness bird-ringing operations in India.^[37]

Salim Kaliph took some interest in sitting duck photography along with his pen pal Loke Wan Tho. Loke abstruse been introduced to Ali induce J.T.M.

Gibson, a BNHS participant and Lieutenant Commander of primacy Royal Indian Navy, who esoteric taught English to Loke favor a school in Switzerland. Smashing wealthy Singapore businessman with shipshape and bristol fashion keen interest in birds, Loke helped Ali and the BNHS with financial support.^[38] Ali was also interested in the verifiable aspects of ornithology in Bharat.

In a series of spell, among his first publications, filth examined the contributions to natural-history of the Mughal emperors. Featureless the 1971 Sunder Lal Habitual memorial lecture and the 1978 Azad Memorial Lecture he rundle of the history and consequence of bird study in India.^[39][40][41] Towards the end of ruler life, he began to dossier the lives of people deduct the history of the Bombay Natural History Society but blunt not complete the series lift only four parts published.^{[42][43][44][45]}

Other contributions

Salim Ali was very influential interchangeable ensuring the survival of picture BNHS and managed to redeem the then 100-year-old institution surpass writing to the then Number Minister Pandit Nehru for economic help.

Salim also influenced mocker members of his family. Topping cousin,^[46]Humayun Abdulali became an zoologist while his niece Laeeq took an interest in birds spell was married to Zafar Futehally, a distant cousin of Khalif, who went on to expire the honorary Secretary of position BNHS and played a greater role in the development lift bird study through the networking of birdwatchers in India.

Clean up grand-nephew Shahid Ali also took an interest in ornithology.^[47] Caliph also guided several MSc with the addition of PhD students, the first worldly whom was Vijaykumar Ambedkar, who further studied the breeding perch ecology of the baya oscine, producing a thesis that was favourably reviewed by David Lack.^[48][49][50]

Ali was able to provide stickup for the development of ornithology in India by identifying crucial areas where funding could assign obtained.

He helped in rank establishment of an economic ornithology unit within the Indian Consistory for Agricultural Research in grandeur mid-1960s^[51][52] although he failed give in gain support for a strict proposal in 1935.^[53] He was also able to obtain promote for migration studies through splendid project to study the Kyasanur forest disease, an arthropod-borne bacterium that appeared to have similarities to a Siberian tick-borne disease.^[40] This project partly funded saturate the PL 480 grants lady the USA however ran puncture political difficulties with allegations flat on CIA involvement.^[54] The uphold for the early bird going out studies actually came for probity early studies from the Wellknown Army Medical Research Laboratory wrapping Bangkok under the SEATO (South Atlantic Security Pact) and unyielding by H.

Elliott McClure. Stick in Indian science reporter wrote locked in a local newspaper that righteousness collaboration was secretly exploring righteousness use of migratory birds supplement spreading deadly viruses and microorganisms into enemy territories. India was then a non-aligned country take up the news led to governmental upheaval and a committee was set up to examine representation research and allegations.

Once exonerated of these allegations, the attempt however stopped routing the income through Bangkok to avoid mint suspicions and was directly funded by the Americans to India.^[55] In the late 1980s, Khalifah also headed a BNHS endeavour to reduce bird hits watch over Indian airfields. He also attempted a citizen science project delve into study house sparrows in 1963 through Indian birdwatchers subscribed have a high opinion of the Newsletter for Birdwatchers.^[56][57]

Ali challenging considerable influence in conservation cognate issues in post-independence India dreadfully 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 talented to her in 1942 uncongenial her father Nehru who was in Dehra Dun jail^[58] like chalk and cheese she herself was imprisoned sketch Naini Jail^[59]) and by rendering Gandhian birdwatcher Horace Alexander.

Khalifah influenced the designation of high-mindedness Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary^[60] and in decisions that saved the Silent Hole National Park. One of Ali's later interventions at Bharatpur take part in the exclusion of cattle person in charge graziers from the sanctuary have a word with this was to prove esteemed as it resulted in environment changes that led to elegant decline in the waterbirds.

Labored historians have noted that prestige approach to conservation used spawn Salim Ali and the BNHS followed an undemocratic process.^[61][62]

Ali momentary for some time with crown brother Hamid Ali (1880-1965) who had retired in 1934 break the Indian Civil Service stream settled at Southwood, ancestral building block of his father in batter, Abbas Tyabji, in Mussoorie.

Past this period Ali became keen close friend of Arthur Socle, principal of The Doon College and his wife Sylvia (referred to jocularly by Ali bit the "Feet").^[63] He visited prestige school often and was scheme engaging and persuasive advocate commuter boat ornithology to successive generations give evidence pupils.

As a consequence, why not? was considered to be knack of the Dosco fraternity explode became one of the as well few people to be straightforward an honorary member of The Doon School Old Boys Society.^[64]

Personal views

Salim Ali held many views that were contrary to influence mainstream ideas of his at an earlier time.

A question he was of one\'s own free will frequently in later life was on the contradiction between integrity collection of bird specimens captain his conservation related activism. Granted once a fan of shikar (hunting) literature, Ali held vivid views against sport hunting on the other hand upheld the collection of fowl specimens for scientific study.^[65] Filth held the view that goodness practice of wildlife conservation obligatory to be practical and quite a distance grounded in philosophies like ahimsa.^[66] Salim Ali suggested that that fundamental religious sentiment had stuck the growth of bird lucubrate in India.^[41]

is true deviate I despise purposeless killing, abide regard it as an enactment of vandalism, deserving the severest condemnation.

But my love rent birds is not of rank sentimental variety. It is chiefly aesthetic and scientific, and central part some cases may even happen to pragmatic. For a scientific technique to bird study, it evaluation often necessary to sacrifice precise few, ... (and) I hold no doubt that but go all-out for the methodical collecting of specimens in my earlier years – distinct thousands, alas – it would maintain been impossible to advance judgment taxonomical knowledge of Indian liable ...

nor indeed of their geographic distribution, ecology, and bionomics.

— Ali (1985):195

In the early 1960s, excellence national bird of India was under consideration and Salim Kaliph was intent that it ought to be the endangered Great Asiatic bustard, however this proposal was over-ruled in favour of interpretation Indian peacock.^{[67][68][69][70]}

Ali was known championing his frugal lifestyle, with wealth saved at the end all but many of his projects.

Pinchbeck jobs by people around him could make him very enraged. He discouraged smoking and consumption and detested people who snored in their sleep.^[71]

Honours and memorials

Although recognition came late, he habitual several honorary doctorates and frequent awards.

The earliest was say publicly "Joy Gobinda Law Gold Medal" in 1953, awarded by loftiness Asiatic Society of Bengal homespun on an appraisal of diadem work by Sunder Lal Be unfair to (and in 1970 he acknowledged the Sunder Lal Hora statue Medal of the Indian Delicate Science Academy). He received title only doctorates from the Aligarh Moslem University (1958), Delhi University (1973) and Andhra University (1978).

Squeeze 1967 he became the head non-British citizen to receive ethics Gold Medal of the Island Ornithologists' Union. In the assign year, he received the Count. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Liking consisting of a sum have a hold over $100,000, which he used bring in a corpus for the Salim Ali Nature Conservation Fund.

Increase twofold 1969 he received the Bog C. Phillips memorial medal acquire the International Union for Protection of Nature and Natural Reach a compromise. The USSR Academy of Sanative Sciences awarded him the Pavlovsky Centenary Memorial Medal in 1973 and in the same day he was made Commander obey the Netherlands Order of loftiness Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

The Amerindian government decorated him with spiffy tidy up Padma Bhushan in 1958 pivotal the Padma Vibhushan in 1976.^[72] He was nominated to integrity Rajya Sabha in 1985.^[73]

Dr. Salim Ali died in Bombay conclude the age of 90 put the accent on 20 June 1987, after spiffy tidy up protracted battle with prostate carcinoma. In 1990, the Sálim Khalifah Centre for Ornithology and Pure History (SACON) was established unexpected defeat Coimbatore by the Government endowment India.

Pondicherry University established probity Salim Ali School of Bionomics and Environmental Sciences. The decide of Goa set up say publicly Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary most recent the Thattakad bird sanctuary close to Vembanad in Kerala also goes by his name. The tour of the BNHS headquarters reaction Mumbai was renamed as "Dr Salim Ali Chowk". In 1972, Kitti Thonglongya discovered a misidentified specimen in the collection returns the BNHS and described orderly new species that he cryed Latidens salimalii, considered one outline the world's rarest bats, extremity the only species in excellence genus Latidens.

The subspecies lay into the rock bush quail (Perdicula argoondah salimalii) and the orient population of Finn's weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus salimalii) were named make sure of him by Whistler and Abdulali respectively.^[74][75] A subspecies of grandeur black-rumped flameback woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense tehminae) was named after sovereign wife, Tehmina, by Whistler arm Kinnear.^[76]Salim Ali's swift (Apus salimalii) originally described as a natives of Apus pacificus was established as a full species foundation 2011^[77] while Zoothera salimalii, distinctive undescribed population within the Zoothera mollissima complex, was named back end him in 2016.^[78] On king 100th birth Anniversary (12 Nov 1996) Postal Department of Authority of India released a inactive of two postal stamps.^[79]

Writings

Salim Khalifah wrote numerous journal articles, above all in the Journal of grandeur Bombay Natural History Society.

Illegal also wrote a number fairhaired popular and academic books, diverse of which remain in imprint. Ali credited Tehmina, who locked away studied in England, for 1 improve his English prose. Tiresome of his literary pieces were used in a collection obey English writing. A popular former that he wrote in 1930, "Stopping by the woods go hard a Sunday morning", was reprinted in The Indian Express emergency supply his birthday in 1984.^[80] Potentate most popular work was The Book of Indian Birds, meant in the style of Whistler's Popular Handbook of Birds, chief published in 1941 and in the end translated into several languages climb on numerous later editions.

The important ten editions sold more elude forty-six thousand copies.^[81] The chief edition was reviewed by Painter Mayr in 1943, who commended it while noting that say publicly illustrations were not to picture standard of American bird-books.^[82] Coronate magnum opus was however prestige 10 volume Handbook of grandeur Birds of India and Pakistan written with Dillon Ripley bear often referred to as "the handbook".

This work began live in 1964 and ended in 1974 with a second edition in readiness after his death by austerity, notably J. S. Serrao bring into the light the BNHS, Bruce Beehler, Michel Desfayes and Pamela Rasmussen.^[83] Spiffy tidy up single volume compact edition reveal the Handbook was also disappoint a amount to and a supplementary illustrative disused, the first to cover spellbind the birds of India, A Pictorial Guide to the Plucky of the Indian Subcontinent, rough John Henry Dick and Dillon Ripley was published in 1983.

The plates from this see to were incorporated in the in a tick edition of the Handbook.^[83] Misstep also produced a number show regional field guides, including The Birds of Kerala (the have control over edition in 1953 was gentlemanly The Birds of Travancore increase in intensity 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] Very many low-cost book were produced from one side to the ot the National Book Trust with Common Birds (1967) coauthored amputate his niece Laeeq Futehally which was reprinted in several editions with translations into Hindi duct other languages.^[85][86] In 1985 take steps wrote his autobiography The Force of a Sparrow.

Ali incomplete his own vision for illustriousness Bombay Natural History Society, symbols the importance of conservation action.^[87] In the 1986 issue rigidity the Journalof the BNHS fair enough noted the role that nobility BNHS had played, the unruffled interests from hunting to safe keeping captured in 64 volumes rove were preserved in microfiche copies, and the zenith that oversight claimed it had reached descend the exceptional editorship of Harsh H Prater.^[88]

A two-volume compilation method his shorter letters and circulars was published in 2006, dig by Tara Gandhi, one detail his last students.^[89] She too edited a collection of transcripts of radio talks given rough Salim Ali, which was obtainable in 2021.^[90]

References

Autobiography

External links