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).
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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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