Birds Around Santiniketan

Sri Pradyot Kumar Sen Gupta (1898-1979), by profession a civil servant, had many interests, bird watching being his primary one. His interest in nature and birds cultivated throughout his service career took the centre-stage after his retirement in 1952. One of the pioneer birdwatchers of eastern India, Sen Gupta instilled the love of bird watching amongst many. Prakriti Samsad, a nature/ornithological organisation was founded by his followers. He was instrumental in drawing attention to and seeking protection to save a large orchard, in the suburbs of Kolkata, a haven of rich wild life, notably birds, as early as the late 1970’s which later was established as Chintamani Kar Wild Life Sanctuary. Though he did not publish any articles, he was well-known among nature lovers and ornithologists, such as Dr. Salim Ali, Horace Alexander, Sir Julian Huxley, among others because of his remarkable knowledge on birds, especially of eastern India.