Advocate of conservation
THEODORE BASKARAN
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Collection of writings of a pioneering naturalist on diverse themes
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NATURE’S SPOKESMAN — M. Krishnan and Indian Wildlife: Ramachandra Guha — Editor; Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110017. Rs. 395.
At a time when an average Indian’s interest in wildlife remained either commercial or gastronomical and when hunting was still a respectable pastime, M. Krishnan was pleading for conservation. In the 1930s and 1940s he wrote prolifically in Tamil and later switched over to English. (A collection of his Tamil articles Mazhaikalamum Kuyilosaiyum has been published recently by Kaclahuvadu Pathipagam.)
Anthology
This book is an anthology of his English writings, 68 pieces in all, published during 1938-96, in various magazines and dailies. Ramachandra Guha, the editor through a thoughtful introduction provides the background to Krishnan and his writings. The selection of articles covers a wide range of subjects—not just wildlife but domestic animals and even literature. His passion for the biodiversity of India did not stop with wildlife but extended to indigenous breeds also as seen from the articles on the section “Nature Domesticated”. He talks about Amrimahal bulls, Surti goats, Rajapalayam and Kombai dogs, and of course the elephant. When it came to trees he was a strong advocate of indigenous trees such as Neem and Pungamia. Only Krishnan would write about despised creatures such as bandicoots and donkeys. In these articles, Krishnan’s deep interest in Tamil comes through. He quotes Sangam poems to support a point. His knowledge of nature is very native and is a part of a long continuum. The article “The Landscape of Love” is one of the best expositions I have read of Tamil literary ecology (Thinai) that categorises landscape into five types.
True naturalist
God, religion, rituals, astrology and life after death, all these were not part of Krishnan’s scheme of things. He did not sport a sacred thread and had no caste loyalties. He was a true naturalist who believed that it was the laws of nature that held the universe together. In this he was a real son of his father A. Madhaviah, also a bilingual writer, who was virtually ostracised by his community for his radical ideas.
Many insights expressed in this book have proved prophetic. In 1951 when the Constitution was promulgated he lamented that forest has been declared a state subject. His fears have come true, as evidenced by the developments in Sariska and Gujarat’s refusal to relocate a few lions from Gir. Similarly he warned against captive breeding of muggers because there will be difficulty in releasing them in water bodies. He cautioned against the spread of Prosopis julifora. Now this exotic weed has taken over river beds also. For decades he was a member of the Indian Board of Wildlife and had a ringside view of government. He tells us how the peacock became our national bird and discusses the lions in the Ashokan pillar. That handsome antelope Blackbuck, exclusive to India, is Krishnan’s favourite animal and we see references to it frequently in this book.
Humour
The absence of an index is a handicap in any book and more so in an anthology which contains references to hundreds of creatures, plants and individuals. The editor has not provided a list of magazines and dailies in which the articles originally appeared. That is important information the reader would like to have. Guha has retained the offensive term ‘pariah’ as a title of an article on dogs. It occurs a number of times in the article also. Even in Kennel club circles the word ‘Pariah dog’ has been long given up for mongrel or country dog.
In using the precise word in writing on nature Krishnan was a master. There is a discussion in the book on the use of the terms “hind” and “doe”. He once wrote a long letter to me justifying his use of the expression in describing a work elephant as being “stone blind” which I had questioned. Being a P.G. Wodehouse aficionado, his writings are peppered with humour, of the Wodosian variety. The word pictures he creates have the power of virtual reality. Here is an example from this book: “Late in the year, when the cyclones hit the south eastern coast, I was in Point Calimere in a tiny cottage on the beach. Very late one afternoon, it grew suddenly dark, black rain clouds blotted out the sun, and a high wind sprang up. By the time I could close and bolt the door and the two small windows, the storm was upon me.”
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