Up Birders hills & vales Buddies

મમ્મી પપ્પા

I am not sure how and when pappa caught the bird watching bug. I imagine it was in Bombay, and some friend took him on one of the Sunday morning bird watching outings that BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society) organised frequently. However, we did visit the jungles near Borivali – hire a bicycle from Borivali station, me on the front bar, mummy on the carrier, and off to Kanheri caves 7 miles away, or Tulsi lake another 3 to 4 miles on a partly paved road -  and bird life was plentiful and both pappa and mummy must have noticed them and got interested. But when ever we stepped out of the hosue – even to Hanging Gardens – all three of us did notice the birds.

BNHS would organise these half day bird watching walks in the jungles outside Bombay, and world famous ornithologists like Dr. Salim Ali, Humayun Abdeali, Zaffer Fatehali, and other expert birders  would identify these jungle denizens, and give tips about their calls, peculiarities, and how to identify each species. Pappa bought a pair of Binoculars – second hand of course, but the best recommended model for bird watching: Zenith, and 7 x 50 (7 times magnifiction, 50 mm diameter of the lens. All 3 of us rarely missed these walks. Mummy was the only housewife present in this group ranging from 15 to 30, and she would spot birds before anyone else with her naked eyes – she did not take to binoculars! All these BNHS doyens knew pappa well, and would specifically acknowledge mummy, complementing pappa on bringing his young son along introducing him to bird watching early in life.

I specifically remember that we were well into bird watching when we went to Kumaon in 1960, and a pair of binoculars was swinging from Papa’s neck! Pappa had quickly infected other friends and family in Bombay with the bird watching bug. Arun maam and jyoti mami in particular were early converts. He had a group fo around 7 - 8 friends in Ahmedabad converted to bird watchers.

Pappa and mummy would catch the early morning ST (State Transport) bus towards places in Konkan, get off near the path to Karnala fort by sunrise, and be back home by late afternoon. I doubt that we were home on more than 15-20 Sundays in a year. We would cart children of friends and family on similar short nature walks around Borivali, and point out both flora and fauna. Some parents would come with the children, and I know of at least 3 such young parents who also got pulled into a habit of nature.

On one such fine wintry Sunday morning, pappa, mummy along with  Arun mama and Jyoti mami in their car reached Karnala a little past day break. As they sipped tea, before locking up the car, and start off into the jungles, they saw a group clustered around a couple of vehicles a little way ahead. One of them saw mummy, and called out “Suluben, Suluben”, and waved them over. Pappa mummy walked over, and saw a caucassian guest along with Dr. Salim Ali! Dr. Salim Ali, drew mummy by hand towards the guest, and introduced her, “the only housewife I know who is an avid bird watcher!”, “and this is Dr. Dillon Ripley”. Mummy did not recognise that name, but pappa explained to her later that he was the chief of the world renown Smithsonian institution! And a great ornithologist. Each group moved off towards their chosen path. There were a few officers from the BNHS, who grabbed pappa, “Sumantbhai, give us a party!”, “why?”, “because Dr. Salim Ali did not introduce any of us to Dr. Ripley, but introduced only Suluben to him!”. Such was my mom’s birding profile!

After mummy passed away, pappa would spend a couple of winter months with Latuben in Ahmedabad. He introduced a number of friends there to bird watching. Some persons in this group were from various places in Saurashtra as well. The Ballar’s were Latuben’s neighbours. To quote rekhaben, “Mama has changed our lives for ever!” by getting them hooked into birds! Since pappa was Latuben’s “mama”, he became everyone’s “mama” in Ahmedabad. Dr. ballar is a dentist, and Rekhaben – his wife – a pathologist. They have nice well maintained garden in their front yard. Pappa would join them in the evening for a cup of tea in the garden. On one such evening, pappa mentioned that he had seen a thousand flamingo’s near Ahmedabad, and Dr, ballar started laughing, “stop pulling my leg, mama!” Pappa challenged, we go in your car, and I will show you these flamingo’s, and next Sunday morning, he took the ballars to that water body with much more than a thousand flamingo’s. turning point in the lives of the Ballar’s. Pappa would borrow someone’s bicycle, and ride to the shores of the near by Vastrapur lake. In the early 80’s, there was indeed a huge body of water on the edges of Vastrapur, and large enough to be called a lake – unlike the stinking garbage filled pond of later years, currently labelled Vastrapur lake! Invariably he would meet one or two other bird watchers there too, looking out for migratory birds that would come there in winter, and be friends with them.

We had a pleasant encounter with one such friend years later. Dhanajay, Geeta and the two of us,  decided on a short trip to Kutch, to see both, the wild asses of the Little Rann of Kutch, and the flamingo’s on the souther coast of Kutch. We reached Zainabad for wild ass part of the trip, and checked into an eco-resort called Desert Coursers. We met the host, Dhanraj Malik, a grand son of the last nawab of Zainabad! The clicked in my head, because while going through pappa’s diaries, I had come across a scribbled address and a name – that of Dhanraj Malik in Ahmedabad – a Vastrapur lake friend! We quickly established a special rapport with him. Normally, a trained staff member would take us on the wild ass safari, but in our instance, he came himself, and gleefully showed us a rare sight – nesting nightjars, which could only be seen in the pitch darkness of the open desert night in the glare of the vehicle’s searchlight! What a treat!

Lalsinh Raol was another good friend of pappa’s from Ahmedabad. Lalsinhbhai may well be called the Salim Ali of Gujarat birds. He has written 4 or more books in Gujarati, with local names and observations about birds from the farmers and shepards of Gujarat. A cultured man of great humility, but tremendous knowledge of birds of Gujarat, and a passion for nature. He was very well known for spreading this love of nature around Gujarat – an active conservationist. Another such ornithologist was Luvkumar Khaachar of the royal family of Jasdan. He set had aside his royal attributes, converted the Hingolgadh in the Jasdan state of yore, into a conservation estate! He became a teacher at Rajkot’s Public School for royals of Saurashtra calle rajkumar College. He always visted us whenever he came to Bombay for some BNHS work.

Prabhubhai Thakkar was another birding friend of Ahmedabad. Unfortunately, I know little about him, except that he was employed at ISRO, and ran an aviary cum nature park created by the Sarabhai’s. I know of him, and quite a few other friends from the correspondance pappa had with them, although I have met only a few. I suspect that friendship with these folks started during slideshows that pappa showed about our Himalaya treks. He would always take a selection with him to Ahmedabad. Even after we came to Singapore – and pappa’s macula had degerated to degrade his eyesight to some extent, pappa would write on the back of large computer printout waste that I would bring from the office trash, and these friends would correspond with him, via recording their collective conversations on a cassette and mailing it to us!

Another special friend was Kishorebhai Gohil of Rajkot. Again, I don’t know how they met, but had become quite close. Kishorbhai encouraged pappa to write about his Himalaya treks in Gujarati, and Kishorebhai would rewrite pappa’s material in neat organised form. Pappa had inspired kishorebhai to go to Himalaya on treks too – one or two I think. Not so much of a birding friend, perhaps a nature friend.

We were in Nepal once, and settling down for the day in a village, in the verenda of one of the larger hosues in the village. There was a swift mountain stream nearby, and we saw white capped redstart, and quickly started watching it through our binoculars. Children from the village had gathered to see us – strange city people – and became very curious about the bino. So, pappa would put the straps around each one’s neck, and help him or her look through the bino! A few even put their hands out to grab the bird which they thought was so near! Their yells of surprise, pleasure and excitement ring in my head just as I think of that incident!

If love of nature is a religion, pappa was certainly a high priest of that church! He would talk about flora fauna vistas mountains, jungles with such passion and personal experience, that few in the audience would not be drawn in. He would sow seeds of love of nature where ever he went. We came to Singapore with pappa’s eyesight already detiriorating, but his philosophy was “what can not be cured, must be enjoyed!” We quickly joined the Nature Society here, and we would take him on their nature walks (fortunately, his eyesight had peripheral vision, so he could walk comfortably even on jungle paths), and enjoy the bird calls, and the excitement of the birders around him.