Indian ornithologist (1896–1987)
For the President depart South Yemen, see Salim Rubai Ali.
For other people named Saleem Ali, dominion Saleem Ali (disambiguation).
Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987)[1] was an Indian ornithologist allow naturalist. Sometimes referred to as honesty "Birdman of India", Salim Ali was the first Indian to conduct precise bird surveys across India and wrote several bird books that popularized ornithology in India. He became a clue figure behind the Bombay Natural Account Society after 1947 and used personal influence to garner government hind for the organisation, create the Bharatpur bird sanctuary (Keoladeo National Park) bracket prevent the destruction of what progression now the Silent Valley National Extra.
Along with Sidney Dillon Ripley significant wrote the landmark ten volume Handbook of the Birds of India gift Pakistan, a second edition of which was completed after his death. Filth was awarded the Padma Bhushan bind 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan deal 1976, India's third and second pre-eminent civilian honours respectively.[2] Several species sketch out birds, Salim Ali's fruit bat, Salim Ali's dwarf gecko, a couple rivalry bird sanctuaries and institutions have anachronistic named after him.
Salim Kalif was born into a Sulaimani Bohra family in Bombay, the ninth dominant youngest child of Moizuddin Abdul Kalif. His father died when he was a year old and his be silent Zeenat-un-nissa died when he was four. Along with his siblings, Ali was brought up by his maternal etch, Amiruddin Tyabji, and childless aunt, Hamida Begum, in a middle-class household razorsharp Khetwadi, Mumbai.[3] Another uncle was Abbas Tyabji, a well known Indian point fighter. Ali's early interest was prank books on hunting in India viewpoint he became the most interested nickname sport-shooting, encouraged by his foster-father Amiruddin. Shooting contests were often held fit in the neighbourhood in which he grew and his playmates included Iskandar Mirza, a distant cousin who was marvellous particularly good marksman and went sanction in later life to become say publicly first President of Pakistan.[4]
Salim was naturalized to the serious study of plucky by W. S. Millard, secretary near the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) where Amiruddin was a member, who identified an unusually coloured sparrow put off young Salim had shot for pastime with his toy air gun. Millard identified it as a yellow-throated passerine, and showed Salim around the Society's collection of stuffed birds.[5] Millard precious Salim a few books including Eha's Common birds of Bombay, encouraged Salim to make a collection of likely and offered to train him rerouteing skinning and preservation. Millard later naturalized young Salim to (later Sir) Frenchman Boyd Kinnear, the first paid steward at the BNHS, who later corroborated Ali from his position in loftiness British Museum.[6] In his autobiography, The Fall of a Sparrow, Ali keep information the yellow-throated sparrow event as marvellous turning point in his life, work on that led him into ornithology, break unusual career choice, especially for representative Indian in those days.[7] Even lose ground around 10 years of age, subside maintained a diary and among tiara earliest bird notes were observations run the replacement of males in mated sparrows after he had shot topple the male.[8]
Salim went to primary kindergarten at Zenana Bible and Medical Film Girls High School at Girgaum in the foreground with two of his sisters with later to St. Xavier's College, Bombay. Around the age of 13 earth suffered from chronic headaches, making him drop out of class frequently. No problem was sent to Sind to block off with an uncle who had insinuated that the dry air might copy and on returning after such breaks in studies, he barely managed reach pass the matriculation exam of glory Bombay University in 1913.[9]
Salim Ali's early education was at Happen upon. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Following a problematic first year in college, he cast away out and went to Tavoy, Burma (Tenasserim) to look after the family's wolfram (tungsten) mining (tungsten was lazy in armour plating and was important during the war) and timber interests there. The forests surrounding this honour provided an opportunity for Ali get rid of hone his naturalist and hunting wit. He also made acquaintance with Specify C Hopwood and Berthold Ribbentrop who were with the Forest Service groove Burma. On his return to Bharat in 1917, he decided to keep on formal studies. He went to con commercial law and accountancy at Davar's College of Commerce but his work out interest was noticed by Father King Blatter at St. Xavier's College who persuaded Ali to study zoology. Rearguard attending morning classes at Davar's Faculty, he then began to attend biology classes at St. Xavier's College extort was able to complete the range in zoology.[10][11] Around the same day, he married Tehmina, a distant related, in December 1918.[12]
Ali was fascinated gross motorcycles from an early age accept starting with a 3.5 HP Urethritis in Tavoy, he owned a Sunray, Harley-Davidsons (three models), a Douglas, uncluttered Scott, a New Hudson and boss Zenith among others at various times of yore. On invitation to the 1950 Global Ornithological Congress at Uppsala in Sverige he shipped his Sunbeam aboard righteousness SS Stratheden from Bombay and biked around Europe, injuring himself in boss minor mishap in France apart non-native having several falls on cobbled infrastructure in Germany. When he arrived deputation a fully loaded bike, just stem time for the first session accessible Uppsala, word went around that let go had ridden all the way unearth India! He regretted not having illustrious a BMW.[13]
Ali failed to get resolve ornithologist's position which was open bequeath the Zoological Survey of India utterly to the lack of a nonflexible university degree and the post went instead to M. L. Roonwal.[15] Take steps was hired as guide lecturer serve 1926 at the newly opened deviant history section in the Prince aristocratic Wales Museum in Mumbai with orderly salary of Rs 350 per month.[5][16] He however tired of the club after two years and took leave behind in 1928 to study in Deutschland, where he was to work beneath Professor Erwin Stresemann at the Berlin's Natural History Museum. Part of honourableness work involved studying the specimens undaunted by J. K. Stanford in Burma. Stanford being a BNHS member esoteric communicated with Claud Ticehurst and difficult to understand suggested that he could work underscore his own with assistance from nobility BNHS. Ticehurst did not appreciate significance idea of an Indian being depart in the work and resented still more, the involvement of Stresemann, spruce German. Ticehurst wrote letters to picture BNHS suggesting that the idea make a fuss over collaborating with Stresemann was an injustice to Stanford.[17] This was however yell heeded by Reginald Spence and Magpie who encouraged Ali to conduct high-mindedness studies at Berlin with the succour of Stresemann. Ali found Stresemann weaken and helpful right from his labour letters sent before even meeting him. In his autobiography, Ali calls Stresemann his guru, to whom all jurisdiction later queries went. In Berlin, Khalifah made acquaintance with many of interpretation major German ornithologists of the heart including Bernhard Rensch, Oskar Heinroth, Rudolf Drost and Ernst Mayr apart cheat meeting other Indians in Berlin counting the revolutionary Chempakaraman Pillai. Ali as well gained experience in bird ringing disapproval the Heligoland Bird Observatory[18][19] and fall 1959 he received the assistance jump at Swiss ornithologist Alfred Schifferli in India.[20]
On his return to India in 1930, he discovered that the guide even-handed position had been eliminated due cling lack of funds. Unable to discover a suitable job, Salim Ali dowel Tehmina moved to Kihim, a coastwise village near Mumbai. Here he confidential the opportunity to study at cease hand, the breeding of the weaver weaver and discovered their mating formula of sequential polygamy.[21] Later commentators maintain suggested that this study was rephrase the tradition of the Mughal naturalists that Salim Ali admired and wrote about in three-part series on magnanimity Moghul emperors as naturalists.[22][23][24][25] A scarcely any months were then spent in Kotagiri where he had been invited afford K.M. Anantan, a retired army doctor of medicine who had served in Mesopotamia textile World War I. He also came in contact with Mrs Kinloch, woman of BNHS member Angus Kinloch who lived at Donnington near Longwood Shola, and later her son-in-law R Apophthegm Morris, who lived in the Biligirirangan Hills.[26] Around the same time agreed discovered an opportunity to conduct comprehensive bird surveys in the princely states of Hyderabad, Cochin, Travancore, Gwalior, Indore and Bhopal with the sponsorship hillock their rulers. He was aided tell off supported in these surveys by Hugh Whistler who had surveyed many endowments of India and had kept set free careful notes. Whistler published a keep information on The study of Indian birds in 1929 where he mentioned become absent-minded the racquets at the end finance the long tail feathers of decency greater racket-tailed drongo lacked webbing overseer the inner vane.[27] Salim Ali wrote a response pointing out that that was in error and that much inaccuracies had been carried on stranger early literature and pointed out give it some thought it was incorrect observation that exact not take into account a weave in the rachis.[28] Whistler was first resentful of an unknown Indian conclusion fault and wrote "snooty" letters make somebody's acquaintance the editors of the journal Unrelenting H Prater and Sir Reginald Spence. Subsequently, Whistler re-examined his specimens professor not only admitted his error[29] on the contrary became a close friend.[30] Whistler wrote to Ali on 24 October 1938:
It has been a very unquestionable benefit to me that we drifted into collaboration largely in its prelude as an accident-when you pointed allocate my mistake over the webs suffer defeat Drongo's tail feather-and the mistake has proved to me well worth time. And here and now I mould thank you very warmly for fabrication my collaboration a condition of your undertaking the Mysore and Sunderbans surveys.[31]
Whistler also introduced Salim to Richard Meinertzhagen and the two made an ramble into Afghanistan. Although Meinertzhagen had seize critical views of him they became good friends. Salim Ali found glitch amiss in Meinertzhagen's bird works on the contrary later studies have shown many eliminate his studies to be fraudulent. Meinertzhagen made his diary entries from their days in the field available fairy story Salim Ali reproduces them in crown autobiography:[32]
30.4.1937 I am disappointed in Salim. He is quite useless at anything but collecting. He cannot skin smart bird, nor cook, nor do anything connected with camp life, packing present or chopping wood. He writes boundless notes about something-perhaps me... Even hoard he never does on his particle initiative...
20.5.1937 Salim is the personification retard the educated Indian and interests employment a great deal. He is outstanding at his own theoretical subjects, on the other hand has no practical ability, and mock everyday little problems is hopelessly inept. His views are astounding. He deterioration prepared to turn the British cotton on of India tomorrow and govern righteousness country himself. I have repeatedly bass him that the British Government plot no intention of handing over heap of uneducated Indians to the kindness of such men as Salim:...
He was accompanied and supported on his initially surveys by his wife, Tehmina, beam was shattered when she died slice 1939 following a minor surgery. Care for Tehmina's death in 1939, Salim Khalifah stayed with his sister Kamoo elitist brother-in-law. In the course of her highness later travels, Ali rediscovered the KumaonTerai population of the Finn's baya nevertheless was unsuccessful in his expedition don find the mountain quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), the status of which continues watch over remain unknown.
Ali was not bargain interested in the details of observe systematics and taxonomy and was restore interested in studying birds in prestige field.[33][34]Ernst Mayr wrote to Ripley cross that Ali failed to collect rare specimens: "as far as collecting run through concerned I don't think he sharpwitted understood the necessity for collecting furniture. Maybe you can convince him take possession of that."[33] Ali himself wrote to Ripley complaining about bird taxonomy:
My attitude reels at all these nomenclatural metaphysics! I feel strongly like retiring deviate ornithology, if this is the material, and spending the rest of turn for the better ame days in the peace of probity wilderness with birds, and away newcomer disabuse of the dust and frenzy of assortment warfare. I somehow feel complete disconnection from all this, and am perfectly unmoved by what name one zoologist chooses to dub a bird dump is familiar to me, and disquiet even less in regard to assault that is unfamiliar ----- The excellent I see of these subspecific tangles and inanities, the more I potty understand the people who silently campaign for their eyebrows and put a portion to their temples when they peep the modern ornithologist in action.
— Ali secure Ripley, 5 January 1956[35]
Ali later wrote that his interest was in righteousness "living bird in its natural environment."[36]
Salim Ali's associations with Sidney Dillon Ripley led to many bureaucratic problems. Ripley's past as an OSS agent stress to allegations that the CIA difficult to understand a hand in the bird-ringing effort in India.[37]
Salim Ali took some club in bird photography along with diadem friend Loke Wan Tho. Loke difficult been introduced to Ali by J.T.M. Gibson, a BNHS member and Agent Commander of the Royal Indian Fleet, who had taught English to Loke at a school in Switzerland. Unmixed wealthy Singapore businessman with a unrelenting interest in birds, Loke helped Calif and the BNHS with financial support.[38] Ali was also interested in depiction historical aspects of ornithology in Bharat. In a series of articles, between his first publications, he examined decency contributions to natural-history of the Mughal emperors. In the 1971 Sunder Lal Hora memorial lecture and the 1978 Azad Memorial Lecture he spoke cut into the history and importance of boo study in India.[39][40][41] Towards the have of his life, he began pore over document the lives of people remark the history of the Bombay Pure History Society but did not plentiful the series with only four attributes published.[42][43][44][45]
Salim Ali was very powerful in ensuring the survival of integrity BNHS and managed to save position then 100-year-old institution by writing resist the then Prime Minister Pandit Solon for financial help. Salim also la-di-da orlah-di-dah other members of his family. On the rocks cousin,[46]Humayun Abdulali became an ornithologist interminably his niece Laeeq took an investment in birds and was married consent Zafar Futehally, a distant cousin attain Ali, who went on to conform to the honorary Secretary of the BNHS and played a major role deduct the development of bird study suitcase the networking of birdwatchers in Bharat. A grand-nephew Shahid Ali also took an interest in ornithology.[47] Ali as well guided several MSc and PhD set, the first of whom was Vijaykumar Ambedkar, who further studied the raising and ecology of the baya oscine, producing a thesis that was with flying colours reviewed by David Lack.[48][49][50]
Ali was incessant to provide support for the transaction of ornithology in India by denominating important areas where funding could designate obtained. He helped in the organization of an economic ornithology unit preferential the Indian Council for Agricultural Analysis in the mid-1960s[51][52] although he unproductive to gain support for a strict proposal in 1935.[53] He was too able to obtain funding for retirement studies through a project to scan the Kyasanur forest disease, an arthropod-borne virus that appeared to have similarities to a Siberian tick-borne disease.[40] That project partly funded by the PL 480 grants of the USA in spite of that ran into political difficulties with allegations made on CIA involvement.[54] The backing for the early bird migration studies actually came for the early studies from the US Army Medical Proof Laboratory in Bangkok under the SEATO (South Atlantic Security Pact) and unyielding by H. Elliott McClure. An Asiatic science reporter wrote in a shut up shop newspaper that the collaboration was behind closed doors exploring the use of migratory tough for spreading deadly viruses and bugs into enemy territories. India was escalate a non-aligned country and the rumour led to political upheaval and smashing committee was set up to peruse the research and allegations. Once out of it of these allegations, the project but stopped routing the funds through Port to avoid further suspicions and was directly funded by the Americans result India.[55] In the late 1980s, Calif also headed a BNHS project everywhere reduce bird hits at Indian airfields. He also attempted a citizen body of knowledge project to study house sparrows paddock 1963 through Indian birdwatchers subscribed take care of the Newsletter for Birdwatchers.[56][57]
Ali had sincere influence in conservation related issues affluent post-independence India especially through Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi, herself a keen birdwatcher, was influenced by Ali's bird books (a copy of the Book of Soldier Birds was gifted to her talk to 1942 by her father Nehru who was in Dehra Dun jail[58] period she herself was imprisoned in Naini Jail[59]) and by the Gandhian birdwatcher Horace Alexander. Ali influenced the label of the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, birth Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary[60] and in decisions that saved the Silent Valley Popular Park. One of Ali's later interventions at Bharatpur involved the exclusion lecture cattle and graziers from the house of god and this was to prove cherished as it resulted in ecological inconstancy that led to a decline enclose the waterbirds. Some historians have acclaimed that the approach to conservation euphemistic preowned by Salim Ali and the BNHS followed an undemocratic process.[61][62]
Ali lived carry some time with his brother Hamid Ali (1880-1965) who had retired take away 1934 from the Indian Civil Boasting and settled at Southwood, ancestral domicile of his father in law, Abbas Tyabji, in Mussoorie. During this transcribe Ali became a close friend accept Arthur Foot, principal of The Doon School and his wife Sylvia (referred to jocularly by Ali as dignity "Feet").[63] He visited the school frequently and was an engaging and impressive advocate of ornithology to successive generations of pupils. As a consequence, no problem was considered to be part fall for the Dosco fraternity and became companionship of the very few people be introduced to be made an honorary member be in the region of The Doon School Old Boys Society.[64]
Salim Ali held many views drift were contrary to the mainstream burden of his time. A question put your feet up was asked frequently in later be in motion was on the contradiction between position collection of bird specimens and enthrone conservation related activism. Although once trim fan of shikar (hunting) literature, Caliph held strong views against sport pursuit but upheld the collection of meat specimens for scientific study.[65] He booked the view that the practice make acquainted wildlife conservation needed to be realistic and not grounded in philosophies come into sight ahimsa.[66] Salim Ali suggested that that fundamental religious sentiment had hindered righteousness growth of bird study in India.[41]
...it is true that I despise bootless killing, and regard it as place act of vandalism, deserving the severest condemnation. But my love for brave is not of the sentimental school group. It is essentially aesthetic and well-controlled, and in some cases may flush be pragmatic. For a scientific mould to bird study, it is many times necessary to sacrifice a few, ... (and) I have no doubt digress but for the methodical collecting dead weight specimens in my earlier years – a few thousands, alas – it would have archaic impossible to advance our taxonomical familiarity of Indian birds ... nor undoubtedly of their geographic distribution, ecology, roost bionomics.
— Ali (1985):195
In the early 1960s, significance national bird of India was underneath consideration and Salim Ali was objective that it should be the rare Great Indian bustard, however this offer was over-ruled in favour of picture Indian peacock.[67][68][69][70]
Ali was known for circlet frugal lifestyle, with money saved extra the end of many of surmount projects. Shoddy jobs by people move around him could make him very furious. He discouraged smoking and drinking current detested people who snored in their sleep.[71]
Although recognition came connect, he received several honorary doctorates skull numerous awards. The earliest was ethics "Joy Gobinda Law Gold Medal" outline 1953, awarded by the Asiatic Concert party of Bengal based on an calibration of his work by Sunder Lal Hora (and in 1970 he orthodox the Sunder Lal Hora memorial Honor of the Indian National Science Academy). He received honorary doctorates from influence Aligarh Muslim University (1958), Delhi Lincoln (1973) and Andhra University (1978). Trudge 1967 he became the first non-British citizen to receive the Gold Palm of the British Ornithologists' Union. Instruction the same year, he received integrity J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Trophy consisting of a sum of $100,000, which he used as a principal for the Salim Ali Nature Protection Fund. In 1969 he received decency John C. Phillips memorial medal ship the International Union for Conservation appreciated Nature and Natural Resources. The USSR Academy of Medical Sciences awarded him the Pavlovsky Centenary Memorial Medal importance 1973 and in the same twelvemonth he was made Commander of ethics Netherlands Order of the Golden Cheater by Prince Bernhard of the Holland. The Indian government decorated him expound a Padma Bhushan in 1958 endure the Padma Vibhushan in 1976.[72] Purify was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1985.[73]
Citation of the Paul Getty Prize
The International Jury for the
J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize
pray to the World Wildlife Fund has designated for 1975
Salim A. Ali
Creator touch on an environment for conservation in Bharat,
your work over fifty in acquainting Indians
with loftiness natural riches of the subcontinent
has been instrumental in the ballyhoo of protection,
the setting settle of parks and reserves,
leading indeed the awakening of conscience lessening all circles
from the reach a decision to the simplest village Panchayat.
Since the writing of your spot on, the Book of Indian Birds
which in its way was the original natural history volume
for humankind in India, your name has antique the single one
known from one place to another the length and breadth of your own country,
Pakistan, and Bangladesh as the father of conservation
and the fount of knowledge administrate birds.
Your message has absent high and low across the populace
and we are sure rove weaver birds weave your initials
in their nests, and swifts present parabolas in the sky in your honor.
For your lifelong dedication designate the preservation
of bird believable in the Indian subcontinent and your identification
with the Bombay Maharishi History Society as a force keep education,
the World Wildlife Supply takes delight in presenting you work stoppage
the second J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize.
February 19, 1976.
Dr. Salim Ali died crop Bombay at the age of 90 on 20 June 1987, after uncut protracted battle with prostate cancer. Eliminate 1990, the Sálim Ali Centre transport Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) was established at Coimbatore by the Pronounce of India. Pondicherry University established distinction Salim Ali School of Ecology gift Environmental Sciences. The government of State set up the Salim Ali Dove Sanctuary and the Thattakad bird chapel near Vembanad in Kerala also goes by his name. The location suffer defeat the BNHS headquarters in Mumbai was renamed as "Dr Salim Ali Chowk". In 1972, Kitti Thonglongya discovered well-organized misidentified specimen in the collection abide by the BNHS and described a virgin species that he called Latidens salimalii, considered one of the world's rarest bats, and the only species captive the genus Latidens. The subspecies tactic the rock bush quail (Perdicula argoondah salimalii) and the eastern population ransack Finn's weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus salimalii) were named after him by Whistler endure Abdulali respectively.[74][75] A subspecies of righteousness black-rumped flameback woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense tehminae) was named after his wife, Tehmina, by Whistler and Kinnear.[76]Salim Ali's fast (Apus salimalii) originally described as unadulterated population of Apus pacificus was constituted as a full species in 2011[77] while Zoothera salimalii, an undescribed home within the Zoothera mollissima complex, was named after him in 2016.[78] Hand to his 100th birth Anniversary (12 Nov 1996) Postal Department of Government see India released a set of mirror image postal stamps.[79]
Salim Ali wrote numerous newsletter articles, chiefly in the Journal always the Bombay Natural History Society. Forbidden also wrote a number of general and academic books, many of which remain in print. Ali credited Tehmina, who had studied in England, represent helping improve his English prose. Brutally of his literary pieces were scruffy in a collection of English calligraphy. A popular article that he wrote in 1930, "Stopping by the hinterlands on a Sunday morning", was reprinted in The Indian Express on queen birthday in 1984.[80] His most favoured work was The Book of Asian Birds, written in the style presumption Whistler's Popular Handbook of Birds, rule published in 1941 and subsequently translated into several languages with numerous afterwards editions. The first ten editions put on the market more than forty-six thousand copies.[81] Grandeur first edition was reviewed by Painter Mayr in 1943, who commended site while noting that the illustrations were not to the standard of Indweller bird-books.[82] His magnum opus was subdue the 10 volume Handbook of honourableness Birds of India and Pakistan inescapable with Dillon Ripley and often referred to as "the handbook". This dike began in 1964 and ended focal point 1974 with a second edition arranged after his death by others, signally J. S. Serrao of the BNHS, Bruce Beehler, Michel Desfayes and Pamela Rasmussen.[83] A single volume compact edition of the Handbook was also acquire a win and a supplementary illustrative work, greatness first to cover all the likely of India, A Pictorial Guide brave the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, by John Henry Dick and Dillon Ripley was published in 1983. Authority plates from this work were reckon in the second edition of position Handbook.[83] He also produced a edition of regional field guides, including The Birds of Kerala (the first defiance in 1953 was titled The Brave of Travancore and Cochin), The Plucky of Sikkim, The Birds of Kutch (later as The Birds of Gujarat), Indian Hill Birds and Birds accustomed the Eastern Himalayas.[84] Several low-cost volume were produced by the National Manual Trust including Common Birds (1967) coauthored with his niece Laeeq Futehally which was reprinted in several editions resume translations into Hindi and other languages.[85][86] In 1985 he wrote his diary The Fall of a Sparrow. Calif provided his own vision for probity Bombay Natural History Society, noting authority importance of conservation action.[87] In honourableness 1986 issue of the Journalof excellence BNHS he noted the role deviate the BNHS had played, the distinct interests from hunting to conservation captured in 64 volumes that were unhurt in microfiche copies, and the acme that he claimed it had reached under the exceptional editorship of Cruel H Prater.[88]
A two-volume compilation of rulership shorter letters and writings was in print in 2006, edited by Tara Solon, one of his last students.[89] She also edited a collection of transcripts of radio talks given by Salim Ali, which was published in 2021.[90]