Valmik Thapar

Last updated

Valmik Thapar
Valmik thapar 200.jpg
Born1952 (age 7172)
New Delhi, India
Occupation(s) natural historian, wildlife documentary filmmaker, conservationist
Known for Land of the Tiger (1997)
Spouse Sanjana Kapoor
ChildrenHamir Thapar
Father Romesh Thapar
Relatives Romila Thapar (aunt)
Daya Ram Thapar (grandfather)
Pran Nath Thapar (great-uncle)

Valmik Thapar (born 1952) is an Indian naturalist, conservationist and writer. [1] [2] He is the author of 14 books and several articles, and has produced a range of programmes for television. [3] Today he is one of India's most respected wildlife experts and conservationists, having produced and narrated documentaries on India's natural habitat for such media as the BBC, Animal Planet, Discovery and National Geographic.

Contents

Early life

Valmik Thapar was born in Bombay to Raj and Romesh Thapar, a noted journalist and political commentator who founded political journal Seminar in 1959. Noted Indian historian Romila Thapar is his aunt.

He married theatre personality Sanjana Kapoor and the couple have a son, Hamir. They live in Delhi. [4]

Career

Valmik Thapar spent decades following the fortunes of India's tiger population. He was influenced by Fateh Singh Rathore. [5]

His stewardship of the Ranthambore Foundation was recognised and he was appointed a member of the Tiger Task Force of 2005 by the Government of India. He criticised the majority Task Force view in his dissent note as excessively focussed on the prospects of co-existence of tigers and humans, which was, in his view not consistent with the objective of the panel.

A tiger in India's Bandhavgarh reserve in 2006 Tigerramki.jpg
A tiger in India's Bandhavgarh reserve in 2006

His writings have analysed the perceived failure of Project Tiger, a conservation apparatus created in 1973 by the Government of India. [6] He has critiqued Project Tiger, drawing attention to its mismanagement by a forest bureaucracy that is largely not scientifically trained. His most recent book The Last Tiger (Oxford University Press) makes this case strongly.

Among the consistent criticisms levelled by Thapar at India's Ministry of Environment and Forests relates to its unwillingness to curb poaching through armed patrols and its refusal to open forests to scholarly scientific enquiry.

His famous relationship with 'Macchli' a female tigress is documented in some of his chronicles. [7] Thapar's most cherished tigers are highlighted in the BBC documentary film My Tiger Family. [8]

View on Ranthambore Tiger T24 transfer to Zoo

As per the Hindustan Times

Joining the debate on the fate of T-24 (Ustad), Valmik Thapar, one of India's most respected wildlife experts and conservationists, said relocating Ustad was the best option: “In my 40 years of experience of the tigers of Ranthambore, T-24 is the most dangerous tiger I have ever encountered. He killed four people, including two forest guards and two locals. The local villagers were partly eaten. The forest guards were not eaten because their bodies were retrieved keeping the tiger at bay.

“After the first two kills I had suggested that this tiger be relocated to a captive enclosure but the tiger was given the benefit of the doubt. Later, two forest personnel have had to sacrifice their lives as a result. T-24 (9-years-old) territory included the path pilgrims take to and around the sacred Ganesha temple and Ranthambore fort. This last kill took place at the entry point of pilgrims and in daylight.

“The forest department and the government of Rajasthan have done a spectacularly successful job in relocating a man killing and eating tiger to a one hectare enclosure in Udaipur where he has eaten and is calm and where he will spend his last years. By doing this they have made Ranthambore safer for the brave forest guards who patrol and the tens of thousands of pilgrims who walk.

“Our feelings today must be for the families who suffered tragically in these five years that have gone by. It is for these families that we need to collect money and help. Any person or group who believed that he should have not been relocated would have to bear the responsibility on their shoulders for the next human kill and the accelerating conflict that could result. T-24 was given the maximum benefit of doubt that any man-eating tiger has ever got in recent Indian history.”

Selected TV works

Bibliography


Books by Valmik Thapar
  1. With Tigers in the Wild, Vikas Publishing, Delhi
  2. Tiger: Portrait of a Predator, Collins UK
  3. Tigers: The Secret Life, Hamish Hamilton, Penguin, UK
  4. The Tiger's Destiny, Kyle Ceathie, UK
  5. The Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent, BBC Publishing, UK
  6. The Secret Life of Tigers, Oxford University Press, Delhi
  7. Tiger, Wayland, UK
  8. Wild Tigers of Ranthambhore, Oxford University Press, India
  9. Bridge of God: 20 Days in the Masai Mara, Private
  10. The Cult of the Tiger, Oxford University Press, India
  11. Tiger: The Ultimate Guide, Two Brothers Press, USA
  12. The Last Tiger, Oxford University Press, India
  13. The Illustrated Tigers of India, Oxfpord University Press, India
  14. Ranthambhore: 10 Days in the Tiger Fortress, Oxford University Press, India
  15. Tigers and the Banyan Tree, Private
  16. An African Diary: 12 Days in Kenya's Magical Wilderness, Oxford University Press, India
  17. The Tiger: Soul of India, Oxford University Press, India
  18. Tigers, My Life: Ranthambhore and Beyond, Oxford University Press, India
  19. My Life with Tigers: Ranthambhore and Beyond, Oxford University Press, India
  20. Tigers in the Emerald Forest: Ranthambhore after the Monsoon, Oxford University Press, India Tiger Fire, Aleph Publishing, India
  21. Tiger Fire: 500 Years of the Tigers in India, Aleph Publishing, India
  22. Wild Fire: The Splendours of India's Animal Kingdom, Aleph Publishing, India
  23. Winged Fire: A Celebration of Indian Birds, Aleph Publishing, India
  24. Living with Tigers, Aleph Publishing, India
  25. Serengeti Magic, Private
  26. Serengeti Tales, Private
  27. Saving Wild India: A Blueprint for Change, Aleph Publishing, India
Books co-authored by Valmik Thapar
  1. With Tigers in the Wild with Fateh Singh Rathore and Tejbir Singh, Vikas Publishing, Delhi
  2. Tigers and Tigerwallahs with Jim Corbett, Billy Arjan Singh, Geoffrey C. Ward and Diane Raines Ward, Oxford University Press, Delhi
  3. Exotic Aliens with Romila Thapar and Yusuf Ansari, Aleph Publishing
Books edited by Valmik Thapar
  1. Saving Wild Tigers, 1900-2000: The Essential Writings, Permanent Black, India
  2. Battling for Survival, Oxford University Press, India

Related Research Articles

Frederick Walter Champion was a British forester, who worked in British India and East Africa. In the UK and India he became famous in the 1920's as one of the first wildlife photographers and conservationists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romila Thapar</span> Indian historian (born 1931)

Romila Thapar is an Indian historian. Her principal area of study is ancient India, a field in which she is pre-eminent. Thapar is a Professor of Ancient History, Emerita, at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in South West Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chauhan Dynasty</span> Clan that ruled parts of northern India in the medieval period

Chauhan, a name derived from the historical Chahamanas, a clan name associated with various ruling Rajput families in the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan from seventh century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranthambore National Park</span> National park in Rajasthan, India

Ranthambore National Park is a 1,334 km2 (515 sq mi) large national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. It is named after the historic Ranthambore Fort, which lies within the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sariska Tiger Reserve</span> Protected area in India

Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Alwar district, Rajasthan, India. It stretches over an area of 881 km2 (340 sq mi) comprising scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, grasslands, and rocky hills. This area was preserved for hunting, for the Alwar state and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958. It was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India's Project Tiger in 1978. The wildlife sanctuary was declared a national park in 1982, with a total area of about 273.8 km2 (105.7 sq mi). It is the first reserve in the world with successfully relocated tigers. It is an important biodiversity area in the Northern Aravalli leopard and wildlife corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammiradeva</span> King of Ranastambhapura from 1283–1301

Hammiradeva was the last ruler from the Ranthambore branch of the Chauhans (Chahamanas). He is also known as Hamir Dev Chauhan in the Muslim chronicles and the vernacular literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kailash Sankhala</span>

Kailash Sankhala was an Indian biologist and conservationist. He was the director of Delhi Zoological Park and chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan. He is best known for his work in preserving tigers. Sankhala was the first director of Project Tiger, a conservation programme set up in India in 1973. He was well known as "The Tiger Man of India". He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 and Rajasthan Ratan in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranthambore Fort</span> Fort in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India

Ranthambore Fort lies within the Ranthambore National Park, near the city of Sawai Madhopur in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, India. the park being the former hunting grounds of the Maharajahs of Jaipur until the time of India's Independence. It is a formidable fort having been a focal point of the historical developments of Rajasthan. The fort is believed to be constructed by numerous kings from several Rajput dynasties including Chahamana, Hada, Mewar Rajput Kings and then the Delhi Sultanate captured it for a brief time. The fort provides a panoramic view of the surrounding Ranthambore National Park and is now a popular tourist attraction.

<i>Sanctuary Asia</i>

Sanctuary Asia is an Indian nature and wildlife conservation magazine founded in 1981 by Bittu Sahgal, its current editor. The magazine expanded in 2015 to become established as a non-profit foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Arjan Singh</span> Indian hunter and conservationist

Kunwar "Billy" Arjan Singh was an Indian hunter turned conservationist and author. He was the first who tried to reintroduce tigers and leopards from captivity into the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanjana Kapoor</span> Indian actress

Sanjana Kapoor is an Indian theatre personality and former film actress. She is the daughter of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor. She ran the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai from 1993 to February 2012.

<i>Land of the Tiger</i> British TV series or programme

Land of the Tiger is a BBC nature documentary series exploring the natural history of the Indian subcontinent, first transmitted in the UK on BBC Two in 1997. The production team covered the breadth and depth of India, from the Himalayan mountains in the north to the reef-fringed islands of the Indian Ocean, to capture footage of the country's wild places and charismatic wildlife.

Romesh Thapar (1922–1987) was an Indian journalist and political commentator. Affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Thapar was the founder-editor of the monthly journal Seminar, published from New Delhi, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pran Nath Thapar</span> Chief of Army Staff, India

General Pran Nath Thapar was the fourth Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. The Sino-Indian War was fought during his term, in which the Indian Army fared poorly. Thapar resigned during the last stages of the war, handing charge to Lt. Gen. J. N. Chaudhuri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fateh Singh Rathore</span> Tiger Guru

Fateh Singh Rathore was an Indian tiger conservationist. Fateh Singh joined the Indian Forest Service in 1960 and was part of the first Project Tiger team. He was widely acknowledged as the tiger guru for his legendary knowledge of the big cat. He worked over 50 years in wildlife conservation. Rathore was noted for his pioneering relocation of villages from inside the Ranthambhore National Park in 1973–75. Largely because of Mr. Rathore, "Ranthambhore became the place which brought the tiger to the consciousness of people the world over."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-24 (tiger)</span> Tiger from India

T-24, also known as Ustad, was a tiger who lived in Ranthambore National Park, India. He allegedly killed four humans and was put into captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machali (tigress)</span> Tiger from India

Machali, also known as Machli or Machhli, was a Bengal tigress who lived in Ranthambore National Park in India. She was born in the spring of 1997, and died in 18 August 2016. She played a key role in the regeneration of the tiger population in the park in the early 2000s, and was celebrated with titles such as Queen Mother of Tigers, Tigress Queen of Ranthambore, Lady of the Lakes, and Crocodile Killer. She was considered India's most famous tigress and on her death, was considered the oldest living tigress in the wild.

Chhan is a village in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, India. It is identified with Jhain, which is mentioned in the Delhi Sultanate chronicles as an important town of 13th and 14th century India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleph Book Company</span> Publishing company

Aleph Book Company is an Indian publishing company. It was founded in May 2011 by David Davidar, a novelist, publisher and former president of Penguin Books Canada, in association with R. K. Mehra and Kapish Mehra of Rupa Publications. The headquarters of the company is situated in New Delhi.

Aditya 'Dicky' Singh was an Indian wildlife conservationist and wildlife photographer.

References

  1. "Archives Top and Latest News".
  2. "Why Valmik Thapar Needs a Plan B". 18 December 2005.
  3. Walia, Nona (15 September 2002). "Tiger, tiger burning bright". The Times of India.
  4. Sawhney, Anubha. "Hamir spells sonrise for Sanjana". The Times of India.
  5. Lalitha Sridhar (21 March 2012), "'If only Indira Gandhi was sitting there, asking, is that tiger safe?' Interview with Valmik Thapar", News & Features, InfoChange India, archived from the original on 27 May 2011{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "Showcasing the big cat". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 December 2008.
  7. "Animal Planet features special series on Indian Wildlife- 'India Revealed'". 6 November 2004.
  8. "My Tiger Family - BBC Documentary". 14 August 2024.
  9. "BBC Two - My Tiger Family".