BNHS book on rare paintings

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) will launch a coffee table book titled “Living Jewels from the Indian Jungle”, which includes 90 rare paintings and sketches of Indian flora and fauna and descriptions of India’s wildlife heritage published during the early 19th century.

The 204-page book will be released in a function on 12 September at the Kumarswamy Hall of Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum.

The book is a compilation of articles on topics like tigers in Mumbai, in localities like Malabar Hill, Mahim, Byculla, Kurla and Mazgaon, lions near Delhi in Haryana and elephants in the forests of south Gujarat.

The book has been edited by Dr Ashok Kothari and Dr B F Chhapgar. Speaking about the book, Dr Kothari said, “This book is dedicated to the memory of the many beautiful animals of India like pink-headed duck that are now extinct. It is important that at least the remaining wildlife is preserved.”

In one of the articles, Valley of Deyra Doon, Captain Mundy describes the valley and the denizens of an unspoiled forest in 1822. Among other articles and real life adventures are discovery of Amhertia Nobilis by N Wallich, article on glory lily by Lt Col Kanhoba Ranchhoddas Kirtikar, man-eating tigers of Nagpore, Vansda and Toongareshwer and wildlife around Mumbai.

The book also talks about the traditional green culture of India wherein there are temples dedicated to deities like Tiger God. The pictorial book also reveals the pristine beauty of Bhor (Khandala) Ghat and Mount Abu 200 years ago.

The prints are from Plantae Asiatic Rariores by Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854), Illustrations of Botany by Forbes Royle (1799-1858), Illustrations of Himalayan Plants by J D Hooker (1817-1911), Illustrations of Indian Ornithology by T C Jerdon (1811-1872), Oriental Memoirs by James Forbes (1812-13), Scenery Costumes and Architecture on the Western Side of India by Captain Robert Melville Grindlay (1826), Oriental Field Sports by Thomas Williamson (1808), Curry and Rice by Captain George Atkinson and from old issues of BNHS journals.

The rare paintings and sketches, whose colours are still intact, are the work of nearly thirty artists including J P Irani, Gorachand, Vishnupersaud, Rungiah, Captain Grindlay, John Clark, J F Cathcart, J B Hogarth, James Forbes, Captain Mundy, William Griffith, William Kuhnert, William Westall and O F Tassart. The oldest painting is from Oriental Memoires and was painted in 1779.