Sálim Ali

Born in Bombay on November 12, 1896, Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali's lifelong passion for ornithology was ignited at age ten when he shot an unfamiliar sparrow-like bird with his toy airgun; his uncle took him to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), where secretary W.S. Millard identified it as a Yellow-throated Sparrow and introduced him to bird study. Lacking formal university degrees in zoology, Ali educated himself through intensive field observations and trained in systematic taxonomy in Germany under Professor Erwin Stresemann. Armed with binoculars, field notebooks, and unmatched perseverance, Ali conducted comprehensive ornithological surveys across Hyderabad, Travancore, Cochin, Gwalior, Sikkim, and the Western Ghats. In 1941, he published "The Book of Indian Birds," a landmark guide that brought nature appreciation to the Indian general public. Alongside American ornithologist S. Dillon Ripley, he authored the definitive 10-volume "Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan" (1968–1974), synthesizing decades of biological research. Ali was not merely an academic researcher; he was a fearless conservation champion. His direct personal intervention with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru prevented the destruction of the Bharatpur bird sanctuary, establishing Keoladeo National Park, and his ecological lobbying with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi saved Kerala's pristine Silent Valley rainforest from a destructive hydroelectric dam project. Honored with the Padma Bhushan (1958) and Padma Vibhushan (1976), Sálim Ali's life remains the foundation of Indian ecological science.