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Remembering Salim Ali
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A nature-lover remembers Dr. Salim Ali on his 111th birth anniversary
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Dr. Salim Ali
To all those who worked with him, Dr. Salim Ali, the celebrated ornithologist, represented a rare breed of excellence, purity and meticulousness in natural history observation and recording.
Destiny selected him for this job of exploring the world of winged beauties. Salim Ali’s love of Nature started early. Despite his dislike for classroom studies, in the field, he was categorical, methodical and explicit. Even now, his Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan is the Bible of any ornithologist. Starting as a 10-year-old bird shikari, Salim Ali’s fascination for birds evolved into passionate conservation.
When natural resources were relieved from the clutches of the all-powerful-rulers in the era of liberation, wildlife, including the birdlife, faced unprecedented decline. Specific habitats of specialised birds and animals vanished at an alarming rate. Resources were plundered and at that time no one anticipated the consequent natural disasters.
Thanks to Salim Ali’s effort, more people started to realise the importance of bird life. His work gave rise to environmentalism in various forms and colours.
Four years after his death, one of his dreams came true – a centre to study nature primarily through birds, The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) at Anaikatti near Coimbatore. SACON has field stations all over India. At present, it has studies in Sikkim, Rajasthan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland. Dr. P. PRAMOD
(Nature education officer, SACON)
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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