Raol Shri Dharmakumarsinhji

Raol Shri Dharmakumarsinhji (April 1917 – January 1986) was an Indian prince of the royal family of Bhavnagar, the younger brother of the last Maharaja of Bhavnagar State, Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji, as well as an ornithologist, environmentalist and writer.

Early years

Orphaned at two years of age, Dharmakumarsinhji studied under an English tutor before attending Rajkumar College in Rajkot. He went from there to England to attend Harrow School where he became the under-14 fencing champion.^[1]

Birds

Dharmakumarsinhji had interests and talents in a variety of fields. He was a pioneer of wildlife photography in India as well as an amateur painter, winning awards in both fields. In his youth he was an enthusiastic hunter, a collector of birds’ eggs, and also a falconer who kept an extensive collection of falcons. His interest in birds led him to undertake field studies of the Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican.^[1]

Conservation

In 1950 the Indian Government appointed him to survey five states – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab and make recommendations on suitable areas to be declared national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Over the next three decades he held several conservation-oriented government positions, among which he was India’s first Honorary Wildlife Warden, Vice Chairman of the Indian Board for Wildlife, and a member of the Rajasthan and Gujarat Wildlife Advisory Boards.^[1]

Publications

As well as many papers in journals, such as the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, books authored by Dharmakumarsinhji include:^[1]

• 1955 – Birds of Saurashtra. Dil Bahar: Bombay.
• 1972 – Sixty Indian Birds. (With K.S. Lavkumar). Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: New Delhi.
• 2000 – Reminiscences of Indian Wildlife. OUP India. ISBN 9780195651676

References