Birds of India: A Literary Anthology (Oxford India Paperbacks)

As birds and birding gain wide popularity, this volume remaps natural history writings in India. It brings together some of the best writings on the role of birds in human life from religion to entertainment, mythology to science, superstition to wisdom. Edited, with an Introduction, and biographical head-notes to the writings by Abdul Jamil Urfi, this volume will interest nature lovers, birdwatchers, environmentalists, and conservationists, as well as general readers. From the Panchatantra, The Baburnama, and The Jahangirnama to writings by the inimitable Edward Hamilton Aitken (EHA), and Sálim Ali, this anthology brings together a diverse collection of literary writings on birds of India. It also includes works by contemporary greats and public figures like S. Theodore Baskaran, R.S. Dharmakumarsinhji, Madhav Gadgil, William Dalrymple, Rudyard Kipling, Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, Khushwant Singh,Mark Twain, and many others. Review Comments a fascinating collection ... Urfi's helpful short biographies on each author ... are absorbing and amusing insights of the writers from their contemporaries. Outlook brings home [the] richness of text and sounds ... takes you on a nostalgic trip that entertains, demystifies and informs. India Today wonderfully entertaining and eclectic collection ... every piece is a gem The Hindu meticulously selected and intensively researched ... a pleasure to read ... the content of this collection is unmatched in its quality, the organization of the essays also deserves appreciation. ... a fine attempt to consolidate the highly scattered, vast literature on birds The Book Review a charming assortment of vignettes from writers as diverse as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mark Twain and the Mogul Emperor Jahangir. ... nicely produced IBIS, The International Journal of Avian Science