‘Salim Ali’s views are even more relevant today’
On compiling the ornithologist’s All India Radio talks on birding and nature, delivered between 1941 and 1985
What prompted you to compile Salim Ali’s lectures and radio broadcasts?
Some years ago, I was researching Salim Ali’s works at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. While going through the files of his papers and documents, I came across two sheets of papers on which Salim Ali had listed his radio talks. I set it aside then only to rediscover it later.
Salim Ali’s talks were recorded mainly at the All India Radio (AIR) station in Mumbai, then Bombay, between 1941 and 1985 and the texts were all stored in the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) archives. He spoke on a fascinating range of topics, in a conversational style and with a touch of humour.
His views, broadcast over the years, are even more relevant today, many being related to the dwindling bird and animal populations and the degradation of natural ecosystems in the country. This compilation, therefore, became a necessity. It was a joy to go through the well-written and detailed scripts and to see the notes and corrections in the beautifully clear writing that I knew so well. I connected with my publisher, Rukun Advani, who very enthusiastically agreed to this project, and that’s how this book came about.
What was Salim Ali like as a person, teacher, and conservationist?
Salim Ali guided me when he was 88 years old, and he died aged 91. I was one of his last students.
Even at that age, he was full of energy, heading BNHS and attending symposiums and conferences. He was a perfectionist and expected the highest standards from his students and staff, as he did from himself. He had cancer, and his body became weak at a later stage, yet he would plod on. Even with his health failing, he travelled from Mumbai to a remote place in Andhra Pradesh to see the Jerdon’s Courser, a bird that was rediscovered. Such was his relentless commitment and passion for conservation.
What are your thoughts on the shrinking space for the earth’s non-human inhabitants?
Man-animal conflict is one of the most serious and complex issues now. We have erased forests to make cities. Some birds so far have adapted quite well and nest right on our windowsills — bulbuls, pigeons, mynas. It shows that they are finding ways to survive. However, the more sensitive bird species that need their own habitats are unable to adapt and survive. I look into broadbased policy measures. Where do you allow habitations, where do you demarcate wild areas?