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(ARCHIVE) Vol. XX No. 6, July 1-15, 2010
 

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Twentyfive years of Blackbuck

Conserving the Blackbuck

A colossus in Madras science

Twentyfive years of Blackbuck
(By Kumaran Sathasivam)

Blackbuck, the journal of the Madras Naturalists’ Society, recently celebrated its 25th year of publication. But before the journal, there was the Society.


The cover of the first issue of Blackbuck, with the striking picture by M. Krishnan
(Courtesy: Madras Naturalists’ Society).

In the 1970s, R.V. Mohan Rao, a birdwatcher, used to watch waders regularly in the Adyar Estuary. Another of his favourite haunts was Guindy National Park. In those days, there were only a few birdwatchers in Madras, and Rao used to go on these trips alone or with S.P. Chandra. On one trip to Guindy Park, the two friends bumped into two others with binoculars around their necks. Introductions were exchanged and a common interest in birds and nature discovered. The two whom Mohan Rao and Chandra met were V.J. Rajan of the Indian Telegraph Services, and T. Koneri Rao, an ardent birdwatcher known to readers of the Newsletter for Birdwatchers through his contributions.

As the foursome strolled along, they found a villager selling freshly cut nungu-s. They bought some and sat down in the shade of a tree to enjoy them. A difficulty arose. The skin of the nungu-s had to be shaved, and there seemed to be no implements available. But Rajan, resourcesful then as he would turn out to be at all times later, whipped out a penknife, thus solving the problem.

A sense of kinship was felt as the men exchanged notes, and they resolved to meet again with other like-minded people. With this end in mind, when they returned home they wrote postcards to all the naturalists, known and potential, in the city, inviting them to join them at Mohan Rao’s house for a meeting.

Sixteen of the 40 invited arrived at the meeting. They included Vivek Kunte, K.V. Sudhakar and G.K. Bhatt, apart from the four birdwatchers in Guindy Park. The meeting led to others and, eventually, the participants decided to form a society to enable members to study and appreciate Nature and to exchange notes. Bhatt had a keen interest in photography and had played a role in forming a photographic society in the city only a little while earlier. He volunteered to draw up the constitution of what was to be the Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS).

The Society met for its first meeting in May 1978. Bhatt was elected its first President and V.J. Rajan the Hon. Secretary. Other office bearers elected included Preston Ahimaz, T. Koneri Rao, V. Santharam and M. Raghuraman, who continue to be involved with the activities of the Society today. K.V. Sudhakar, one of that first 16, has over the years served the Society in different capacities and still does so.

The draft constitution prepared by Bhatt was adopted in a suitable form in January 1979, and the first annual general meeting of the MNS was held in March 1979.

Rajan worked tirelessly for the Society. Endowed with a friendly nature and excellent administrative skills, fuelled by a passion for Nature, he nurtured the MNS till he passed away in 1994. One of Rajan’s pet projects was his Rural Education Project. Travelling for hours across Tamil Nadu, he reached out to schoolchildren everywhere, speaking to them in Tamil, showing them slides of wildlife and answering their questions. He interacted easily with children and was able to communicate an awe and wonder for Nature in them. He ceaselessly spread the message of the need to conserve wildlife.

When Rajan passed away, M. Krishnan paid him this tribute.

It is not the highly qualified and experienced specialist in our wildlife that can do anything for our rapidly declining wonderful heritage of Nature, with our country so suffocatingly overpopulated... a populace not even aware of the one major force that can compensate them for the vicissitudes inevitable in life, a deep, fascinating interest outside themselves, in their ambience. It is men like Rajan who have personally experienced the revitalising power of an interest in Nature that can, by communicating this vital force, save our country.”

In the first year itself, talks were arranged on birdwatching, photography and wildlife. Guindy Park and Adyar Estuary were regularly visited. Nature trips to wildlife sanctuaries, including Silent Valley, were also arranged. A monthly bulletin was brought out and has been published without a break to the present.

The monthly bulletin’s main purpose was to communicate routine announcements and meetings, apart from news of field trips. The bulletin also contained articles of scientific and popular interest.

After seven years of this, a need was felt for a journal that would carry articles and be a more permanent record of members’ observations. This need was translated into the publication of a quarterly journal. Thus was Blackbuck born. The first issue came out on April 15, 1985.

The editorial in the issue read as follows:

We have great pleasure in introducing BLACKBUCK amidst us, the much awaited quarterly magazine of the Madras Naturalists’ Society. The Blackbuck has been the logo of our Society since its inception, as well as the State animal of Tamil Nadu.

In the seven years that the Society has served its members and others interested in the study and appreciation of Nature, it has been making efforts, sincere though humble, to provide knowledge and information about Nature’s creations, their behaviour, occurrence and other aspects of biological importance. In the recent past, it was with one voice and heart that the Society resolved to bring out a periodical within its limited resources, which would include scientific and popular contributions meant to enrich everyone who reads it.

This is the first issue of the long and eagerly expected magazine. The articles in it have been written, some by eminent and distinguished professional scientists, and others by amateur naturalists of repute. The Madras Naturalists’ Society owes a great debt to those who have contributed to this inaugural number and also to the advertisers who made the dream a reality.

Readers of this magazine are bound to enjoy the accounts and illustrations contained in this issue. We welcome crticisms and comments from every concerned reader which will enhance the educative and aesthetic quality of the periodical.”

The first editors were V. Santharam and P.M. Rangarajan. The cover had a picture of a male blackbuck, contributed by M.  Krishnan. Dr. Santharam has continued to be the main or consulting editor.

Since natural history comprises all branches of biology, subject experts have had to be consulted for articles of a very specialised nature. And much as a person would like to indulge endlessly in a passion such as Natural History, there are other matters that he cannot neglect. So, Rangarajan’s association with MNS and Blackbuck was suspended and Santharam had to devote more time to studies and research to become a professional ornithologist. Around 1990, Dr. Rajaram became the editor of Blackbuck and went on to hold that position for a ten-year period.

Santharam returned actively to Blackbuck editorship with the present team of editors. Blackbuck is now edited by K.V. Sudhakar, Kumaran Sathasivam and V. Santharam.

Blackbuck is unique in that its content spans a wide spectrum of writing ranging from dry-as-dust scientific accounts to amusing anecdotes and literary masterpieces. Professional scientists and amateur naturalists alike have had their work published in Blackbuck. It is a matter of pride for MNS that there are few other journals that can make this claim in India. Blackbuck articles are cited in scientific journals and books of repute. For the general reader, Blackbuck offers supremely entertaining and enriching reading.

Released on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee celebration of Blackbuck was The Sprint of the Blackbuck, a book compiled by Theodore Baskaran from the best articles that had appeared in the journal over the years.

 

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Conserving the Blackbuck
(By Dr. T. Sundaramoorthy)

The blackbuck is the only antelope found in India. A few decades ago the blackbuck was found in Nepal and Pakistan, and all over India, except the northeast. Now it is seen only in a few Indian states like Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (where it is the State animal) and Madhya Pradesh.

The blackbuck is one of the original inhabitants of the Coromandel Coast. It is an animal of the open grasslands which are dotted with bushes and scrub jungles.

This gracious animal was found in most parts of India, such as the plains and open woodlands, wet coastal areas and deserts of western India.

In the beginning of the 19th Century, the animal was seen in its thousands in many roars of our country. Unfortunately, it was hunted to near-extinction. At present, it is found only in protected areas like the Point Calimere sanctuary, Vellanadu sanctuary, and Guindy National Park in Tamil Nadu, Rollapadu sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, Chilka in Orissa, Velavadar in Gujarat and a few areas of Rajasthan and Haryana. Local names for the species include Kalahiran and Sasin in Hindi, Iralai Maan in Tamil and Krishna Jinka in Telugu.

The diet of the blackback consists mostly of grasses, although it does eat pods, flowers and fruits to supplement its diet. The maximum life-span recorded is 16 years and the average is 12 years. There are four sub-species: Antelope cervicapra cervicapra, Antelope cervicapra rajputanae, Antelope cervicapra centralis, and Antelope cervicapra rupicapra.

There are also blackbucks as introduced populations in various parts of the world, including numerous ranches in Texas in the United States of America. Free-ranging populations exist in Argentina (on the pampas in southern Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Entre Rios provinces).

The horns of the blackbuck are ringed with three to four turns and can be as tall as 28 inches. The adult male blackbuck has a blackish brown fur coat with white on its underside and white patches around the eyes. Male blackbucks have long spiral horns that can grow up to nearly two feet. The females are beige in colour and do not have horns. A fully-grown male blackbuck stands 32 inches at the shoulder and can weigh up to 44 kgs. Blackbucks usually roam in the plains in herds of 15 to 20 animals with one dominant male.

Biology of the blackbuck

After the rains, blackbucks prefer to graze on fresh grass and herbs, especially the grass unique to dry, deciduous areas. In the summer months they survive on fallen fruits, leaves and flowers. They are known to survive in water-scarce conditions. They are seen either in groups of seven to ten with one male member or as a single male doing his solitary sojourn in selected spots. A mature female is generally the group leader. A male blackbuck has a coat similar to the female until he attains sexual maturity in about 3 years. Females attain maturity when they are 18 months old. The gestation period is about 5 months and the doe gives birth to one fawn at a time.

The first one week in a fawn’s life is very critical as it keeps lying most of the time, hidden amidst tall grass or bushes. The mother nurses the fawn in this hideout. For this reason it is necessary to have patches of scrub jungle or tall grass. These areas should not be disturbed in a blackbuck habitat. The male buck marks its territory on small twigs and branches, using the glands below his eyes. Also, it makes dung piles to mark its geographic territory.

The social units of the blackbuck are female groups, mixed groups of both sexes, bachelor groups, and territorial males. Since territorial males monopolise prime grazing, female groups frequent their territories. Each territorial male commands about 3 to 40 acres. Blackbucks are usually found in herds, but during the mating season one male establishes dominance. Territorialism facilitates breeding by giving the male a clear field for courtship. The average interval between births is six months, with gestation lasting approximately five months. A single fawn can be born at any season. Initially, the fawn lies in the grass between nursing sessions. Then it gradually joins the mother’s group. Increased harassment from territorial males plus the zest for sparring sends young bucks between the ages of six months to one year to bachelor groups.

The blackbuck population has declined drastically due to habitat alteration and poaching and only a few thousands are found in select forest patches. The main threats to the species are poaching, predators, habitat destruction, overgrazing, disease and inbreeding.

The blackbuck is well known for its speed (70 miles per hour). When the cheetah became extinct in India, the blackbuck was virtually left with no predators.

The natural habitat of the blackbuck is being encroached upon by man’s need for agricultural land and grazing land for domesticated cattle. Exposure to domesticated cattle also renders the blackbuck susceptiable to bovine diseases from domesticated cattle when the latter visit grasslands for grazing. Some populations are under threat from inbreeding.

The blackbuck was the most hunted animal in India during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Till India’s Independence, many princely states used to hunt this Indian antelope with the Asiatic cheetah. At the beginning of 20th Century, thousands of blackbucks could be seen in the valleys and open grasslands of India. Due to heavy poaching and habitat loss, the population has dwindled and they now exist in very few areas in India. The blackbuck has been listed as an endangered species and is included in schedule I of Indian Wildlife Act 1972.

Mythology

According to Hindu mythology the blackbuck, or Krishna Jinka, is considered the vehicle (vahana) of the Moon-god or Chandrama. (Courtesy: Eco News, the journal of CPREEC.)

 

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A colossus in Madras science
(Masters of 20th Century Madras Science – An occasional article in a series
by Dr. A. Raman)

Bangalore Gundappa Lakshminarayana Swamy was born in Bangalore in 1918 as the only son of the eminent Kannada literatteur Devanahalli Venkataramanaiah Gundappa (DVG). After his formal studies with the doyen of Indian botany, M. A. Sampath Kumaran, in Central College, Bangalore (then a part of the University of Mysore), Swamy worked for a short while as a research scholar in Biochemistry at the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore). He later went to the Arnold Arboretum (Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts) to work with the eminent American botanist Irving Widmer Bailey. On return to India in 1949–1950, he became the Chief Professor of Botany in Madras Presidency College. He officiated as Principal for a few years in the 1960s, but later quit in disgust.


Bangalore Gundappa Lakshminarayana Swamy.

Swamy botanised extensively and contributed to the understanding of the plant-biological diversity of southern India by adding valid collections to the herbarium of Presidency College, which was built by Phillip Furley Fyson, before him. He discovered unique plants (vessel-less angiosperms) such as Sarcandra irwingbaileyii and Ascarina maheswarii in southern India. He contributed critical information to a better understanding of the structure and organisation of southern Indian plants and their reproductive organs. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to plant science, he was awarded the Birbal Sahni Medal in 1976.

Not many are likely to know that Swamy was a multi-faceted personality. Besides being a gifted botanist who knew Indian plants like the back of his palm, Swamy studied Tamil language’s links with other southern Indian languages, the Mahabalipuram relics, the iconography of Siva Linga, and the Nataraja of Chidambaram. He explored ancient Sanskrit texts searching for details on plants used in human health treatment and in the treatment of plant diseases. He wrote a series of well-researched papers on plants of India and their links to Indian culture, history, and heritage, which were published in the Indian Journal of History of Science, New Delhi, in the 1970s.

He was a talented caricature artist and he used this versatility in humorously criticising interpretations of plant structure and development made by fellow botanists both within India and overseas. His close friend K.L. Kamat’s website includes Swamy’s cartoons on aspects of interpersonal interactions. Sparks of his sense of satirical humour are charmingly revealed in some of his Kannada prose works such as Hasiré Honnu (Green Gold). Swamy was well-versed in Carnatic music and could play both the veena and violin with ease. The noted wildlife authority of Madras, Madhaviah Krishnan, was one of his dear friends and admirers.

A thoroughly independent and free-thinking person, he, for most of the time, was embroiled in controversies. His ruthless critical remarks on different aspects of plant structure and form, the ancient history of southern India, and the Tamil land and language earned him more foes than friends. He spared none when he could not agree with their interpretations. It is not an exaggeration to say that his students listened to his lectures, mouths agape, because of his outstanding knowledge of plants and the eloquence with which he lectured. I admired his impeccable English language, although it was spoken with a strong Bangalorean accent.

An extraordinary teacher, who challenged rote learning, the dominant educational paradigm in India, he demonstrated good teaching by provoking us to think and think critically, and laterally as well. Undoubtedly, to me, he stands out as a colossus in Madras science. Swamy died in Mysore in 1980. His life shows the world that biologists need not only be biologists.

 

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In this issue

Your Worship, could these names remain?
Here’s why Munro should stay
Recording the wall writings
Madras’s oldest Bank
Historic Residences of Chennai - 45
Other stories

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Short 'N' Snappy
a-Musing
Our Readers Write
Quizzin' with Ram'nan
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