Salim Ali - Bird man Of India
Introduction
In India, Dr. Salim Ali was the Country's first ornithologist and environmentalist. Salim Ali studied the birds habits, the numerous species of birds, and the diversity of species. In India, his efforts began the custom of becoming an amateur bird watcher. Salim Ali was their first Guru, according to these Indian bird watchers.
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| Bird Lover Salim Ali |
He wrote several bird books that popularized ornithology in India. in his book, Dr. Ali tells how he became interested in birds. Ali grew up in a Sulaimani Bohara family in Mumbai. He used to shoot little birds with a shotgun when he was a kid. He discovered a new small bird among the spotted sparrows one day. Her neck had a yellow mark on it. The fact that the bird appeared different than usual sparked his interest, and he asked his uncle what it was. Uncle took him to the The Bombay Natural History Society's director. Little Ali was shown a collection of sawdust-filled birds by the director, who explained the bird to him. Salim Ali captivated the birds for a long time.
Interest/ Work
Salim Ali's latter hobbies were limited to
photographing and documenting him. He planned to pursue a degree in zoologist
after finishing high school, but he had to drop out owing to a number of
challenging science classes. Meanwhile, he travelled to Rangoon to assist his
Burmese brothers. He continued to traverse the forests of Burma, collecting
birds and making records, with the support of business. He married Tehmina in
1918. Salim Ali epitomizes the phrase "a successful man has a wife behind
him." After failing in business in Rangoon, Ali returned to India in 1924.
Meanwhile, Tehmina discovered Salim Ali's passion in birds and motivated him to
choose a career that would facilitate him to follow his passion.
Salim Ali's education, on the other hand, made it
impossible for him to obtain such a position. Ali gained a position as a guiding
lecturer at the Bombay Natural History Society because to a close friend, but
it wasn't enough for him. At the period, there was no such thing as ornithology
in India. He had ornithological training in Germany and worked in England for a
time.
It was tough to get work in this profession after
moving to India. Salim Ali was still considered a novice birdwatcher. He
relocated to Kihim, near Alibag, with the support of his wife. During his
visit, he examined the sugarcane bird's habits in depth and published a
comprehensive research paper on it in the Bombay Natural History Society
magazine (BNHS). He demonstrated to the world that it is not ornithology to
keep birds in museums simply by picking them up and filling them with dust, and
he gave ornithology a new path.
Later in life, he went on bird-watching journeys
across most of India. They recorded birds from the country's northwest boundary
to Kerala's woods, and from Kutch's wetlands to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in
the east. Obtaining a vast amount of data on avian behavior, climatic changes,
migratory habits, and nesting season.
Tehmina, his wife, initially aided him greatly. She
was looking at the campaign management of the same Salim Ali.
Ali suffered immensely after Tehmin's death in 1939. Throughout his life, a great void was created. after that, he chose to devote his life to birds. He relocated to Mumbai to live with his sister and spent the remainder of his life establishing a permanent home for Indian ornithology.
He Received Honorary Doctorates & Numerous Awards. Dr. Salim Ali Died In Mumbai at the age of 90 on 20th June 1987.
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