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“Salim Ali, the pioneer, the outlier of Ornithological expeditions in Indian subcontinents.” He pursued this extensive career in study of avians when it was practically oblivious to Indians. Ali studied Indian subcontinent birds when India stood at level zero in terms of ornithological studies and nature conservation.
Salim Ali introduced Indians and the world to the rich variety of Birds of the Indian subcontinent and the prosperity of Indian forests. He paved a path for the new generation in ornithological studies.
The world was gifted with Salim Ali on 12th November, 1896, in Bombay (now Mumbai). Fate had him orphaned by the age of three, but it could not stop him from pursuing his endeavors. Ali was the youngest of five brothers and four sisters and was raised by his uncle Amiruddin Tyabji, and his childless wife, Hamida Begam.
When Ali was a child, he had a strong inclined towards hunting. Natural, as it was the most thrilling game for the boys of his time. His affinity for hunting was fueled by his uncle, when he gifted him a very expensive air gun. During one of his hunting expeditions, Salim shot a unique kind of bird, which initially appeared as any other sparrow but with a captivating yellowish neck. Then his uncle advised him to visit the honorary secretary Mr. W.S. Milliard of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) with that bird. It was Ali’s first encounter with the fascinating world of birds and to see them for a purpose other than hunting. The bird, which was hunted by Ali, was the Yellow-throated Sparrow or the Chestnut-Shouldered Petronia. Milliard showed him more specimens of birds, thereafter Salim Ali started to visit BNHS more frequently.
Because of his disease of chronic headaches, he faced many difficulties in completing his formal education, still at last according to his inclination towards birds, he obtained his degree in Zoology (honors) from the St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
He worked at the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai as a guide lecturer, thereafter he moved to the National History Museum of Berlin, Germany in 1928 to work under Professor Erwin Stresemann. He trained Ali in ‘Systematic Ornithology’. Later in life, Stresemann helped Ali a lot and Salim Ali considered him as his Guru.
Ali returned to India in 1930 and started studying about a bird Baya weaver in Mumbai. Salim Ali’s premier document was published in the same year on the Baya Weaver’s polygamous mating behavior which created a lot of appreciation as it was a completely new topic for Indians. Following which , he started his research on birds in different parts of India, supported on a government funded project. He explored various exotic parts of the Indian subcontinent, including Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, the western Himalayas, Western Tibet, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Further, extended his search to the entire Indian subcontinent and traversed some parts of Burma and Malaya. In his earlier expeditions, Salim’s wife Tehmina also played a major role. Unfortunately, Ali lost his wife at a very early age in the year 1939. He is the only person who did his bird expeditions in the most difficult parts of the Indian subcontinent and has deep knowledge of the country’s forests.
Apart from being a passionate bird watcher, Ali also talked about the concerns of nature conservation. It was his efforts for nature that saved The Bharat Bird Sanctuary, The Keoladeo National Park, and The Silent Valley National Park. Salim Ali wrote various books in his lifetime such as the Book of Indian Birds, Indian Hill Bird, The Fall of a Sparrow (autobiography), and many more. He also discovered several new species of birds like the Black-rumped Flameback, Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat, etc. For his notable work in Indian ornithology and nature conservation, Salim Ali received many accolades including Padma Bhushan (1958) and Padma Vibhushan (1976). Salim Ali died on 20th June 1987 at the age of 90 years, leaving behind a legacy of vast knowledge for the upcoming generations.
Author: Shikha Mishra
Editor: Shivam
Illustrator: Tushar Gupta
Review: Aviral Srivastava
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