Born in New Delhi in 1952, Thapar devoted over 5 a long time of his life to the examine and conservation of untamed tigers, significantly in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Nationwide Park.
Famend conservationist Valmik Thapar, a towering determine in Indian wildlife safety and literature, handed away on the age of 73 on Saturday morning at his residence. Thapar had been battling most cancers for a while. Extensively considered one of the devoted voices for tiger conservation in India, his passing marks the top of an period in wildlife advocacy.
Born in New Delhi in 1952, Thapar devoted over 5 a long time of his life to the examine and conservation of untamed tigers, significantly in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Nationwide Park. He co-founded the Ranthambhore Basis in 1988, a pioneering NGO that emphasised community-based conservation methods.
Mentored by Fateh Singh Rathore, one of many main figures of India’s unique Venture Tiger, Thapar emerged as a staunch advocate for habitat safety and strict anti-poaching measures.
Household and schooling
Valmik Thapar hailed from a distinguished household of intellectuals and public figures. His father, Romesh Thapar, was a famend journalist. Historian Romila Thapar is his aunt, whereas his cousin is veteran journalist Karan Thapar.
He studied at The Doon Faculty and graduated with a gold medal in sociology from St. Stephen’s School, Delhi College. Thapar was married to theatre character Sanjana Kapoor, daughter of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor. The couple have a son.
Legacy of conservation
Over the course of his profession, Thapar was concerned in additional than 150 authorities committees and process forces, together with the Nationwide Board for Wildlife, chaired by the Prime Minister. In 2005, he was appointed to the Tiger Process Power shaped by the UPA authorities after tigers vanished from the Sariska Tiger Reserve.
Whereas the duty drive, chaired by Sunita Narain, submitted a report supporting coexistence between people and tigers, Thapar issued a dissenting word. He cautioned towards overly optimistic views, insisting that long-term tiger survival relied on strictly protected, human-free habitats.
“He expressed concern that the report was overly optimistic concerning the coexistence of tigers and people. Thapar argued that for tigers to outlive in the long term, sure areas wanted to be saved free from human interference. He mentioned {that a} minimal space ought to be managed completely in its pure type for a tiger.”
Prolific writer and filmmaker
Thapar wrote or edited greater than 30 books on wildlife, together with Land of the Tiger: A Pure Historical past of the Indian Subcontinent (1997), and Tiger Fireplace: 500 Years of the Tiger in India. His literary contributions spanned a long time and helped elevate public consciousness of India’s wealthy biodiversity.
He additionally produced and offered a number of acclaimed wildlife documentaries for worldwide platforms such because the BBC. His landmark collection Land of the Tiger (1997), a six-part exploration of the subcontinent’s pure world, obtained widespread acclaim. As lately as 2024, he appeared within the documentary My Tiger Household, chronicling his five-decade-long journey with the tigers of Ranthambore.
Tributes pour in
Tributes from throughout the political and environmental spectrum poured in following information of Thapar’s demise.
Conservation biologist Neha Sinha described him as “the worldwide voice of Indian tigers for a lot of a few years” and inspired readers to revisit his influential works corresponding to Tiger Fireplace and Residing with Tigers as a tribute.
Wildlife conservationist Nirmal Ghosh remembered him as “an enormous of tiger conservation” and mentioned Thapar leaves behind “a long-lasting legacy as a worldwide spokesman for the tiger.”
(With PTI inputs)