Autobiography of Salim Ali

Salim Ali- the Birdman of India

Introduction : Salim Ali is the all time greatest Ornithologist of India. For his contribution to the birds of Indian subcontinent he is commonly known as " Birdman of India ". He is the first person who systematically surveyed the birds of India and abroad.

Life of Salim Ali

Full name of Salim Ali is Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali. He was born on 12th November 1896. He had the curiosity about birds from his childhood. He attended the college but he had no degree of university. Once he went to Burma to assist his brother in tungsten mining and time but spend most of his time looking for birds. Soon he returned back to Bombay.

Contribution of Salim Ali

After returning from Burma, he started his study again and completed a degree in zoology from St. Xavier's College. He got a job as a guide in 1926 at the museum of Bombay Natural History Society. His interest in birds grew even more. Therefore he went to Germany and there he mate Dr. Irvin Starssman, a renouned ornithologist. He returned to India in 1930.

Returning India,he joined as a clerk in the museum and carried on his research about the birds. He had a special interest about the activity of the weaver bird.

He published his research paper about the nature and activities of weaver bird in 1930. This paper made him famous as an ornithologist. He published his book " The Book of Indian Birds " in 1941. This book is considered as bible of ornithology as far as Indian birds are concerned. Jointly with S.Dillon Repley, a world famous ornithology, he published another book " Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan "(10 volume set) that describe the birds of the subcontinent, their appearance, habitats, how they breed, their migration etc. Another book of Salim Ali is " Common birds " (1967) and his famous autobiography " The Fall if a Sparrow " in 1985.

Salim Ali was not only an ornithologist but was a naturalist also and worked for the protection of nature.He was honoured by the Govt. of India with a Padma Bhusan in 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1976.

This Birdman died at the age of 90 on June 1987 suffering long time with prostate cancer.

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