‘Roar of the tiger goes silent': As Valmik Thapar passes away, tributes pour in for the wildlife conservationist and author

Indian Express

3 days ago

Valmik Thapar, a renowned Indian naturalist, conservationist, and writer, passed away at the age of 73 Saturday morning at his New Delhi residence. 'Valmik Thapar passed away peacefully early this morning, the 31st of May, at home. He will be cremated at the Lodhi Electric Crematorium at 3:30 PM this afternoon,' a post on the Sanctuary Nature Foundation portal read.
A renowned tiger expert and Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve's stalwart, Thapar's legacy has left an indelible mark on wildlife conservation. His passing has sent shockwaves through the community, with many expressing their condolences and reflecting on their association with him.
Dr Ullas Karanth, zoologist and tiger expert, described Thapar's passing, saying, 'roar of the tiger goes silent'. 'I am deeply saddened to learn that my friend and colleague of 32 years, Valmik has passed away. I met Valmik in 1993 in Delhi and realised instantly that we were bonded together forever by our passion for the tiger. His passion arose purely from the heart, inspired by the charisma of the cat. My passion was rooted in the mysteries of its ecology, and concern for the fate of tiger populations rather than of individual tigers. As we worked together over the next three decades, I was amazed by Valmik's single-minded focus, incredible drive and the shrewd understanding of how political systems worked,' he said.
Among the generation of conservationists of post-colonial India, Thapar, who was born in 1952, stood tall as the most effective and genuine leader, Dr Karanth said in a statement. 'He made his impact initially in Ranthambore, but around the time we met, he was spreading his wings across India to work with several of us on pragmatic wildlife conservationists – not of the 'woke' academic kind that currently predominates,' he said.
'It is indeed extremely sad. He was a good friend,' said Sunil Limaye, former chief wildlife warden, Maharashtra, who first met Thapar in 2010. 'At that time, human-animal conflict with leopards reaching human settlement was being widely discussed. That was the first time I met him where he discussed how such conflicts are all about space, encroachment of the space of animals,' said Limaye.
Neha Singh, founder, FORREST, Forest Regeneration and Environmental Sustainability Trust, said that she came to know Thapar through his books. 'As a lead protector of Indian forests, he has inspired a generation of conservationists in India. As fearless as the tigers he protected and studied. His legacy lives on in the forests we are fighting to protect and conserve,' Singh said.
Vivek Sharma, founder, Snakehub, and co-founder, IndianSnakes, shared an interesting anecdote. 'I was privileged to listen to Valmik sir live some 15 months ago. He was such a person who would not tone down his opinion just to convince people. He spoke his heart as usual. He explained about problems in Cheetah introduction and his story of Ranthambore. In between his 1.5 hour talk, suddenly he stood up and said flatly, 'I am now 72 year old, I don't have many years left and I want to spend every moment with tigers so I cannot miss any safari and will keep doing so till I am alive', and walked away. That was his passion,' Sharma said.
Dr Karanth, too, vouched for Thapar's intellect and his ability to not flinch from speaking out. Thapar's prodigious advocacy for tigers through his television documentaries, numerous books and passionate pleadings with those in power stands unmatched, he shared.
'What impressed me most about Valmik was, he did not flinch from speaking out on what he felt was right. He also intelligently changed his position on issues when rational evidence was presented, a rare trait in most individuals driven by pure passion,' said Dr Karanth.
Thapar has been credited with many amendments to wildlife laws, setting up of the wildlife crime bureau, formation of the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court, establishment of the Global Tiger Forum and appointment of the Tiger Task Force.
Dr Karanth also said Thapar 'made us all effective on the ground. Regardless of who ran the political show in Delhi, Valmik could get things done. A dozen of us, officials and non-officials, sometimes provided ideas and supported him in whatever way we could.'
According to Dr Karanth, who had a long-standing association with Thapar, said conservationists in Karnataka will remember him fondly. 'They enjoyed his support on key issues, such as the closure of the Kudremukh mine, conservation resettlement from wildlife reserves, improving tiger science, and supporting law enforcement on ground when forest department was resource-starved,' Dr Karanth said.
As the son-in-law of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor, Thapar, once shared that the passing of his parents Raj and Romesh Thapar left a void in his life. 'My life's work has been very different from what Raj and Romesh did. But their goodwill across so many shades of life cushioned and at some level even gave direction to my life. It is truly amazing. I still dream about my parents and in those dreams I am always in conversation with them, in debate and discussion. That fine-tuning of the mind comes from the rich experiences that I lived through with Raj and Romesh. It is a great feeling because they float in and out of this life I have been so privileged to lead,' Thapar once shared in a 'personal tribute' on India-seminar.com.
Waterman of India, Rajendra Singh, Indian water conservationist and environmentalist from Alwar district, Rajasthan, shared in a post on Facebook, 'I had the privilege of spending time with the legendary Valmik Thapar, including a memorable jungle excursion. He embodied the spirit of wildlife conservation, and it was clear that his life's purpose was dedicated to protecting tigers. His conversations were always infused with passion and insight, with wildlife being the sole focus.
Famous historian Romila Thapar is Valmik Thapar's aunt and veteran journalist Karan Thapar is his cousin.
Jayashree Narayanan writes on fitness, health, aviation safety, food, culture and everything lifestyle. She is an alumnus of AJKMCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia and Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi ... Read More