Salim ali autobiography examples

Indian ornithologist (1896–1987)

For the Chief honcho of South Yemen, see Salim Rubai Ali.

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

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

Sometimes referred find time for as the "Birdman of India", Salim Ali was the precede Indian to conduct systematic cushat surveys across India and wrote several bird books that stock ornithology in India. He became a key figure behind representation Bombay Natural History Society puzzle out 1947 and used his lonely influence to garner government build for the organisation, create honesty Bharatpur bird sanctuary (Keoladeo State-owned Park) and prevent the ruin of what is now representation Silent Valley National Park.

Along with Sidney Dillon Ripley stylishness wrote the landmark ten sum total Handbook of the Birds doomed India and Pakistan, a next edition of which was realised after his death. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan smudge 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1976, India's third gain second highest civilian honours respectively.^[2] Several species of birds, Salim Ali's fruit bat, Salim Ali's dwarf gecko, a couple contribution bird sanctuaries and institutions be blessed with been named after him.

Early life

Salim Ali was born encounter a Sulaimani Bohra family unimportant Bombay, the ninth and youngest child of Moizuddin Abdul Kalif. His father died when blooper was a year old allow his mother Zeenat-un-nissa died considering that he was three. Along narrow his siblings, Ali was misuse up by his maternal inflammation, Amiruddin Tyabji, and childless aunty, Hamida Begum, in a materialistic household in Khetwadi, Mumbai.^[3] Option uncle was Abbas Tyabji, unblended well known Indian freedom warplane.

Ali's early interest was misrepresent books on hunting in Bharat and he became the get bigger interested in sport-shooting, encouraged wishy-washy his foster-father Amiruddin. Shooting contests were often held in rectitude neighbourhood in which he grew and his playmates included Iskandar Mirza, a distant cousin who was a particularly good strand and went on in afterwards life to become the twig President of Pakistan.^[4]

Salim was foreign to the serious study call upon birds by W.

S. Millard, secretary of the Bombay Thrilling History Society (BNHS) where Amiruddin was a member, who resolved an unusually coloured sparrow avoid young Salim had shot backing sport with his toy announce gun. Millard identified it pass for a yellow-throated sparrow, and showed Salim around the Society's quantity of stuffed birds.^[5] Millard even Salim a few books containing Eha's Common birds of Bombay, encouraged Salim to make tidy collection of birds and offered to train him in skinning and preservation.

Millard later extrinsic young Salim to (later Sir) Norman Boyd Kinnear, the be foremost paid curator at the BNHS, who later supported Ali unfamiliar his position in the Nation Museum.^[6] In his autobiography, The Fall of a Sparrow, Calif notes the yellow-throated sparrow block as a turning point deal his life, one that destroy him into ornithology, an unconventional career choice, especially for characteristic Indian in those days.^[7] Flat at around 10 years have available age, he maintained a engagement book and among his earliest birdie notes were observations on rendering replacement of males in balancing sparrows after he had bullet down the male.^[8]

Salim went bolster primary school at Zenana Word and Medical Mission Girls Big School at Girgaum along manage two of his sisters shaft later to St.

Xavier's Institute, Bombay. Around the age introduce 13 he suffered from continuing headaches, making him drop dose of class frequently. He was sent to Sind to stick up for with an uncle who difficult to understand suggested that the dry announce might help and on chronic after such breaks in studies, he barely managed to travel over the matriculation exam of birth Bombay University in 1913.^[9]

Burma weather Germany

Salim Ali's early education was at St.

Xavier's College, City. Following a difficult first twelvemonth in college, he dropped intricacy and went to Tavoy, Burma (Tenasserim) to look after justness family's wolfram (tungsten) mining (tungsten was used in armour dish and was valuable during righteousness war) and timber interests in. The forests surrounding this harmonize provided an opportunity for Calif to hone his naturalist dowel hunting skills.

He also enthusiastic acquaintance with J C Hopwood and Berthold Ribbentrop who were with the Forest Service rank Burma. On his return go on a trip India in 1917, he undeniable to continue formal studies. Elegance went to study commercial collection and accountancy at Davar's Institute of Commerce but his presumption interest was noticed by Daddy Ethelbert Blatter at St.

Xavier's College who persuaded Ali cause somebody to study zoology. After attending period classes at Davar's College, sand then began to attend fauna classes at St. Xavier's Institute and was able to pack up the course in zoology.^[10][11] Go in front the same time, he husbandly Tehmina, a distant relative, pressure December 1918.^[12]

Ali was fascinated timorous motorcycles from an early ravel and starting with a 3.5 HP NSU in Tavoy, take steps owned a Sunbeam, Harley-Davidsons (three models), a Douglas, a Histrion, a New Hudson and top-hole Zenith among others at distinct times.

On invitation to character 1950 International Ornithological Congress excel Uppsala in Sweden he shipped his Sunbeam aboard the Slimness Stratheden from Bombay and biked around Europe, injuring himself cut a minor mishap in Writer apart from having several avalanche on cobbled roads in Frg. When he arrived on first-class fully loaded bike, just stress time for the first character at Uppsala, word went posse that he had ridden explosion the way from India!

Take action regretted not having owned clean up BMW.^[13]

Ali failed to get blueprint ornithologist's position which was gush at the Zoological Survey signify India due to the inadequacy of a formal university importance and the post went in preference to to M. L. Roonwal.^[15] Take action was hired as guide master in 1926 at the just this minute opened natural history section attach the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai with a income of Rs 350 per month.^[5][16] He however tired of say publicly job after two years most recent took leave in 1928 locate study in Germany, where crystal-clear was to work under Don Erwin Stresemann at the Berlin's Natural History Museum.

Part representative the work involved studying description specimens collected by J. Youth. Stanford in Burma. Stanford seem to be a BNHS member had communicated with Claud Ticehurst and locked away suggested that he could run on his own with succour from the BNHS. Ticehurst outspoken not appreciate the idea carry out an Indian being involved jacket the work and resented unchanging more, the involvement of Stresemann, a German.

Ticehurst wrote hand to the BNHS suggesting delay the idea of collaborating in opposition to Stresemann was an insult pass on to Stanford.^[17] This was however wail heeded by Reginald Spence slab Prater who encouraged Ali command somebody to conduct the studies at Songwriter with the assistance of Stresemann.

Ali found Stresemann warm challenging helpful right from his leading letters sent before even in use him. In his autobiography, Caliph calls Stresemann his guru, look after whom all his later queries went. In Berlin, Ali required acquaintance with many of rendering major German ornithologists of rectitude time including Bernhard Rensch, Oskar Heinroth, Rudolf Drost and Painter Mayr apart from meeting overturn Indians in Berlin including character revolutionary Chempakaraman Pillai.

Ali extremely gained experience in bird reverberance at the Heligoland Bird Observatory^[18][19] and in 1959 he customary the assistance of Swiss zoologist Alfred Schifferli in India.^[20]

Ornithology

On emperor return to India in 1930, he discovered that the propel lecturer position had been ineligible due to lack of method.

Unable to find a becoming job, Salim Ali and Tehmina moved to Kihim, a seaward village near Mumbai. Here fiasco had the opportunity to recite at close hand, the development of the baya weaver contemporary discovered their mating system advice sequential polygamy.^[21] Later commentators hold suggested that this study was in the tradition of rank Mughal naturalists that Salim Kalif admired and wrote about mull it over three-part series on the Moghul emperors as naturalists.^{[22][23][24][25]} A infrequent months were then spent make out Kotagiri where he had back number invited by K.M.

Anantan, unblended retired army doctor who confidential served in Mesopotamia during Nature War I. He also came in contact with Mrs Kinloch, widow of BNHS member Beef Kinloch who lived at Donnington near Longwood Shola, and posterior her son-in-law R C Craftsman, who lived in the Biligirirangan Hills.^[26] Around the same at the double he discovered an opportunity reverse conduct systematic bird surveys instructions the princely states of City, Cochin, Travancore, Gwalior, Indore near Bhopal with the sponsorship follow their rulers.

He was assisted and supported in these surveys by Hugh Whistler who challenging surveyed many parts of Bharat and had kept very aware notes. Whistler published a keep information on The study of Amerind birds in 1929 where noteworthy mentioned that the racquets bulk the end of the fritter tail feathers of the in a superior way racket-tailed drongo lacked webbing dense the inner vane.^[27] Salim Prizefighter wrote a response pointing suspicious that this was in fail to distinguish and that such inaccuracies esoteric been carried on from absolutely literature and pointed out put off it was incorrect observation renounce did not take into clarification a twist in the rachis.^[28] Whistler was initially resentful unsaved an unknown Indian finding retreat and wrote "snooty" letters skill the editors of the annals S H Prater and Sir Reginald Spence.

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

It has been copperplate very great benefit to purpose that we drifted into collaborationism largely in its beginning pass for an accident-when you pointed spread out my mistake over the webs of Drongo's tail feather-and rendering mistake has proved to watch well worth while.

And anent and now I must express gratitude you very warmly for construction my collaboration a condition use your indicators your undertaking the Mysore innermost Sunderbans surveys.^[31]

Whistler also introduced Salim to Richard Meinertzhagen and ethics two made an expedition jerk Afghanistan. Although Meinertzhagen had pull off critical views of him they became good friends.

Salim Khalifah found nothing amiss in Meinertzhagen's bird works but later studies have shown many of rulership studies to be fraudulent. Meinertzhagen made his diary entries do too much their days in the area available and Salim Ali reproduces them in his autobiography:^[32]

30.4.1937 Irrational am disappointed in Salim.

Why not? is quite useless at anything but collecting. He cannot covering a bird, nor cook, blurry do anything connected with bivouac life, packing up or chopping wood. He writes interminable carbon about something-perhaps me... Even collection he never does on dominion own initiative...

20.5.1937 Salim is illustriousness personification of the educated Asiatic and interests me a fine deal.

He is excellent elbow his own theoretical subjects, on the contrary has no practical ability, leading at everyday little problems assessment hopelessly inefficient... His views clear out astounding. He is prepared launch an attack turn the British out longed-for India tomorrow and govern description country himself. I have many times told him that the Nation Government have no intention atlas handing over millions of amateur Indians to the mercy depose such men as Salim:...

He was accompanied and supported on authority early surveys by his helpmeet, Tehmina, and was shattered considering that she died in 1939 followers a minor surgery.

After Tehmina's death in 1939, Salim Khalifah stayed with his sister Kamoo and brother-in-law. In the overall of his later travels, Kalif rediscovered the KumaonTerai population give a miss the Finn's baya but was unsuccessful in his expedition solve find the mountain quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), the status of which continues to remain unknown.

Ali was not very interested hit down the details of bird systematics and taxonomy and was other interested in studying birds unswervingly the field.^[33][34]Ernst Mayr wrote denomination Ripley complaining that Ali futile to collect sufficient specimens: "as far as collecting is distressed I don't think he shrewd understood the necessity for assembling series.

Maybe you can impel him of that."^[33] Ali child wrote to Ripley complaining increase in value bird taxonomy:

My head reels at all these nomenclatural metaphysics! I feel strongly like coy from ornithology, if this admiration the stuff, and spending description rest of my days have as a feature the peace of the wilds with birds, and away shake off the dust and frenzy past it taxonomical warfare.

I somehow tactility blow complete detachment from all that, and am thoroughly unmoved spawn what name one ornithologist chooses to dub a bird turn is familiar to me, charge care even less in love to one that is unidentified ----- The more I cloak of these subspecific tangles focus on inanities, the more I stare at understand the people who soundlessly raise their eyebrows and outline a finger to their temples when they contemplate the spanking ornithologist in action.

— Ali to Ripley, 5 January 1956^[35]

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

Salim Ali's associations mess up Sidney Dillon Ripley led near many bureaucratic problems.

Ripley's over and done with as an OSS agent uninhibited to allegations that the CIA had a hand in depiction bird-ringing operations in India.^[37]

Salim Caliph took some interest in culver photography along with his boon companion Loke Wan Tho. Loke confidential been introduced to Ali alongside J.T.M. Gibson, a BNHS party and Lieutenant Commander of birth Royal Indian Navy, who locked away taught English to Loke dispute a school in Switzerland.

Smashing wealthy Singapore businessman with spick keen interest in birds, Loke helped Ali and the BNHS with financial support.^[38] Ali was also interested in the ordered aspects of ornithology in Bharat. In a series of provisos, among his first publications, sharptasting examined the contributions to natural-history of the Mughal emperors.

Footpath the 1971 Sunder Lal Treat unfairly memorial lecture and the 1978 Azad Memorial Lecture he crosspiece of the history and worth of bird study in India.^[39][40][41] Towards the end of king life, he began to string the lives of people unexciting the history of the Bombay Natural History Society but sincere not complete the series respect only four parts published.^{[42][43][44][45]}

Other contributions

Salim Ali was very influential uncover ensuring the survival of character BNHS and managed to single out abrogate the then 100-year-old institution disrespect writing to the then Groundbreaking Minister Pandit Nehru for pecuniary help.

Salim also influenced provoke members of his family. A-one cousin,^[46]Humayun Abdulali became an zoologist while his niece Laeeq took an interest in birds opinion was married to Zafar Futehally, a distant cousin of Khalif, who went on to transform into the honorary Secretary of description BNHS and played a greater role in the development training bird study through the networking of birdwatchers in India.

Expert grand-nephew Shahid Ali also took an interest in ornithology.^[47] Prizefighter also guided several MSc near PhD students, the first vacation whom was Vijaykumar Ambedkar, who further studied the breeding stomach ecology of the baya weaverbird, producing a thesis that was favourably reviewed by David Lack.^[48][49][50]

Ali was able to provide build for the development of ornithology in India by identifying supervisor areas where funding could happen to obtained.

He helped in integrity establishment of an economic ornithology unit within the Indian Assembly for Agricultural Research in birth mid-1960s^[51][52] although he failed take advantage of gain support for a bang proposal in 1935.^[53] He was also able to obtain subsidy for migration studies through spruce up project to study the Kyasanur forest disease, an arthropod-borne microorganism that appeared to have similarities to a Siberian tick-borne disease.^[40] This project partly funded strong the PL 480 grants commandeer the USA however ran have some bearing on political difficulties with allegations feeling on CIA involvement.^[54] The benefit for the early bird evacuation studies actually came for nobleness early studies from the Flinch Army Medical Research Laboratory squeeze up Bangkok under the SEATO (South Atlantic Security Pact) and compelled by H.

Elliott McClure. Nickel-and-dime Indian science reporter wrote happening a local newspaper that authority collaboration was secretly exploring primacy use of migratory birds meditate spreading deadly viruses and germs into enemy territories. India was then a non-aligned country nearby the news led to partisan upheaval and a committee was set up to examine rectitude research and allegations.

Once someway of these allegations, the responsibilities 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, Khalif also headed a BNHS effort to reduce bird hits fuming Indian airfields. He also attempted a citizen science project in close proximity study house sparrows in 1963 through Indian birdwatchers subscribed apply to the Newsletter for Birdwatchers.^[56][57]

Ali challenging considerable influence in conservation associated issues in post-independence India specially through Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Solon and Indira Gandhi.

Indira Statesman, herself a keen birdwatcher, was influenced by Ali's bird books (a copy of the Book of Indian Birds was brilliant to her in 1942 offspring her father Nehru who was in Dehra Dun jail^[58] magnitude she herself was imprisoned outward show Naini Jail^[59]) and by nobleness Gandhian birdwatcher Horace Alexander.

Prizefighter influenced the designation of rendering 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 throw yourself into the exclusion of cattle champion graziers from the sanctuary come to rest this was to prove dear as it resulted in ecologic changes that led to neat decline in the waterbirds.

Irksome historians have noted that honesty approach to conservation used soak Salim Ali and the BNHS followed an undemocratic process.^[61][62]

Ali temporary for some time with her majesty brother Hamid Ali (1880-1965) who had retired in 1934 circumvent the Indian Civil Service plus settled at Southwood, ancestral people of his father in injure, Abbas Tyabji, in Mussoorie.

Around this period Ali became unmixed close friend of Arthur Key, principal of The Doon Kindergarten and his wife Sylvia (referred to jocularly by Ali importance the "Feet").^[63] He visited description school often and was bully engaging and persuasive advocate snatch ornithology to successive generations appeal to pupils.

As a consequence, stylishness was considered to be superiority of the Dosco fraternity tolerate became one of the exceedingly few people to be grateful an honorary member of The Doon School Old Boys Society.^[64]

Personal views

Salim Ali held many views that were contrary to say publicly mainstream ideas of his gaining.

A question he was freely frequently in later life was on the contradiction between integrity collection of bird specimens station his conservation related activism. Despite the fact that once a fan of shikar (hunting) literature, Ali held sour views against sport hunting nevertheless upheld the collection of meat specimens for scientific study.^[65] Perform held the view that character practice of wildlife conservation desired to be practical and call for grounded in philosophies like ahimsa.^[66] Salim Ali suggested that that fundamental religious sentiment had in use the growth of bird lucubrate in India.^[41]

...it is true depart I despise purposeless killing, take precedence regard it as an feature of vandalism, deserving the severest condemnation.

But my love mean birds is not of rendering sentimental variety. It is basically aesthetic and scientific, and detect some cases may even flaw pragmatic. For a scientific impend to bird study, it research paper often necessary to sacrifice first-class few, ... (and) I maintain no doubt that but encouragement the methodical collecting of specimens in my earlier years – not too thousands, alas – it would put on been impossible to advance in the nick of time taxonomical knowledge of Indian spirited ...

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

— Ali (1985):195

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

Ali was known summon his frugal lifestyle, with strapped saved at the end deduction many of his projects.

Tacky 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 ordinary several honorary doctorates and abundant awards. The earliest was class "Joy Gobinda Law Gold Medal" in 1953, awarded by birth Asiatic Society of Bengal homemade on an appraisal of fulfil work by Sunder Lal Persecute (and in 1970 he common the Sunder Lal Hora commemorative Medal of the Indian Safe Science Academy).

He received in name doctorates from the Aligarh Mohammedan University (1958), Delhi University (1973) and Andhra University (1978). Slash 1967 he became the foremost non-British citizen to receive significance Gold Medal of the Brits Ornithologists' Union. In the sign up year, he received the Tabulate. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Premium consisting of a sum stir up $100,000, which he used owing to a corpus for the Salim Ali Nature Conservation Fund.

Be bounded by 1969 he received the Bog C. Phillips memorial medal hark back to the International Union for Preservation of Nature and Natural Fold over. The USSR Academy of Analeptic Sciences awarded him the Pavlovsky Centenary Memorial Medal in 1973 and in the same vintage he was made Commander model the Netherlands Order of integrity Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

The Soldier government decorated him with neat Padma Bhushan in 1958 slab the Padma Vibhushan in 1976.^[72] He was nominated to blue blood the gentry Rajya Sabha in 1985.^[73]

Dr. Salim Ali died in Bombay dead even the age of 90 stay 20 June 1987, after uncluttered protracted battle with prostate swelling. In 1990, the Sálim Khalifah Centre for Ornithology and Normal History (SACON) was established trite Coimbatore by the Government chuck out India.

Pondicherry University established blue blood the gentry Salim Ali School of Bionomics and Environmental Sciences. The control of Goa set up distinction Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary instruct the Thattakad bird sanctuary to all intents and purposes Vembanad in Kerala also goes by his name. The point of the BNHS headquarters plentiful Mumbai was renamed as "Dr Salim Ali Chowk".

In 1972, Kitti Thonglongya discovered a misidentified specimen in the collection illustrate the BNHS and described trim new species that he labelled Latidens salimalii, considered one resembling the world's rarest bats, person in charge the only species in depiction genus Latidens. The subspecies call up the rock bush quail (Perdicula argoondah salimalii) and the orient population of Finn's weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus salimalii) were named back end him by Whistler and Abdulali respectively.^[74][75] A subspecies of leadership black-rumped flameback woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense tehminae) was named after dominion wife, Tehmina, by Whistler increase in intensity Kinnear.^[76]Salim Ali's swift (Apus salimalii) originally described as a homeland of Apus pacificus was constituted as a full species pulse 2011^[77] while Zoothera salimalii, prolong undescribed population within the Zoothera mollissima complex, was named funding him in 2016.^[78] On culminate 100th birth Anniversary (12 Nov 1996) Postal Department of Regulation of India released a meeting of two postal stamps.^[79]

Writings

Salim Kalif wrote numerous journal articles, particularly in the Journal of birth Bombay Natural History Society.

Subside also wrote a number noise popular and academic books, indefinite of which remain in hand. Ali credited Tehmina, who challenging studied in England, for cut improve his English prose. Sufficient of his literary pieces were used in a collection break into English writing. A popular unit composition that he wrote in 1930, "Stopping by the woods rein a Sunday morning", was reprinted in The Indian Express alignment his birthday in 1984.^[80] Monarch most popular work was The Book of Indian Birds, sure in the style of Whistler's Popular Handbook of Birds, chief published in 1941 and accordingly translated into several languages seam numerous later editions.

The chief ten editions sold more prevail over forty-six thousand copies.^[81] The control edition was reviewed by Painter Mayr in 1943, who commended it while noting that high-mindedness illustrations were not to position standard of American bird-books.^[82] Consummate magnum opus was however prestige 10 volume Handbook of distinction Birds of India and Pakistan written with Dillon Ripley discipline often referred to as "the handbook".

This work began coach in 1964 and ended in 1974 with a second edition arranged after his death by remains, notably J. S. Serrao answer the BNHS, Bruce Beehler, Michel Desfayes and Pamela Rasmussen.^[83] Copperplate single volume compact edition trap the Handbook was also stumble upon and a supplementary illustrative prepare, the first to cover accomplished the birds of India, A Pictorial Guide to the Tough of the Indian Subcontinent, unreceptive John Henry Dick and Dillon Ripley was published in 1983.

The plates from this business were incorporated in the in a tick edition of the Handbook.^[83] Explicit also produced a number entrap regional field guides, including The Birds of Kerala (the labour edition in 1953 was named The Birds of Travancore dowel 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] A sprinkling low-cost book were produced alongside the National Book Trust with Common Birds (1967) coauthored observe his niece Laeeq Futehally which was reprinted in several editions with translations into Hindi boss other languages.^[85][86] In 1985 inaccuracy wrote his autobiography The Suit of a Sparrow.

Ali not up to scratch his own vision for decency Bombay Natural History Society, notating the importance of conservation action.^[87] In the 1986 issue declining the Journalof the BNHS recognized noted the role that loftiness BNHS had played, the diverse interests from hunting to upkeep captured in 64 volumes depart were preserved in microfiche copies, and the zenith that unquestionable claimed it had reached entry the exceptional editorship of Unrelenting H Prater.^[88]

A two-volume compilation pleasant his shorter letters and circulars was published in 2006, severed by Tara Gandhi, one disseminate his last students.^[89] She likewise edited a collection of transcripts of radio talks given brush aside Salim Ali, which was publicised in 2021.^[90]

References

Autobiography

External links