HUBBALLI: Celebrated ornithologist Salim Ali, perched on a machan erected on a large ficus tree located opposite to a water hole, gazed at the variety of birds at Bandipur National Reserve. A few metres away, a herd of elephants were bathing by the lake, when two tuskers got into a fight. The forest department’s jeep, which was waiting to pick up Ali, could not reach him, as the tuskers blocked the way. It was nothing short of an adventure for forest personnel to ensure the safe return of the famous birder.
With this memory still fresh, 91-year-old SG Neginhal, author and retired forest officer from Karnataka Forest Department, recalled how Ali used to wander alone into the jungle in search of birds. “In 1974, when Salim Ali first visited Bandipur, he wanted to be left alone for a few hours before the sunset. In the absence of watch towers those days, we had built a machan in front of Kolakamalli Katte lake. The tusker fight happened when we were about to bring Ali back, who had to wait for nearly an hour till the fighting pachyderms moved away,” he said.
Ali, who visited BRT Tiger Reserve the same year, had great love for that particular forest. “BRT reserve has huge jamoon trees, which Ali was impressed by. He kept hugging trees, exclaiming ‘bahut achcha hain’ as he trod through the forest,” Neginhal recalled.
Man behind Ranganathittu
“Karnataka should be thankful to Salim Ali for creating a legion of hundreds of bird watching enthusiasts here. He was also responsible for developing the first dedicated area for birds at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Srirangapatna.
Upon invitation by the Mysuru government, Ali did a survey at Cauvery river near Srirangapatna in 1938. The same evening, after finishing his data collection, he wrote to the local government to declare the area a bird sanctuary. The order was passed the next day, which is how Ranganathittu Bird Reserve took its wings”.
In 1974, Ali was keen on visiting Ranganatittu and meet the foresters with whom he had surveyed the area. “The forester who had worked with Salim Ali had retired. Finally we found forest guard Krishnamurthy, who met the legend nearly after three decades. Salim Ali hugged him and recollected those days. It showed the legend’s magnanimity,” Neginal said.