Colin Philip Smith
Colin Philip Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 November 1936 Highgate, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Imperial College (BSc. Mathematics) University College (MSc. Mathematics) |
| Notable works | Illustrated Checklist of Nepal's Butterflies, Butterflies of Nepal, Lepidoptera of Nepal |
Download books of Colin Philip Smith or buy them on amazon
Colin Philip Smith (born 24 November 1936) aka Putali Bajey (Butterfly Granddad) is a British national who has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to the study of butterflies in Nepal.[1]. He has made several publications including research papers, books, calendars, postcards, and posters based on the butterflies of Nepal[2].
Early life
Colin Smith was born on 24 November 1936 in Highgate, England, to father, Ebenezer John Smith, and mother, Rose Lilian Boosey. When he was small, he often visited his Uncle Bob (Mr. Arnold Turner A.M.I Mech.E) at Kingsbury. His uncle's collection of British Butterflies and Moths was a great attraction to him. His admiration for butterflies further augmented when he joined the Boy Scouts at his first Summer camp in Cranham Woods in Gloucestershire when he was 13 (in 1950). However, he had to give it up after his first year at university since it interfered with his time for studies.
Career
He came to Nepal as a teacher in 1966. His first assignment in Nepal was to Pokhara where he soon met Miss Dorothy Mierow who was starting a small museum there (now Annapurna Natural History Museum). Over the next seven years of his stay in Nepal, he worked as a teacher in various locations in Nepal including Gorkha and Kathmandu. During his teaching foray in Gorkha, Smith remembers teaching science to who are now UCPN (Maoist) Vice Chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and renowned neurologist Dr Upendra Devkota in the ninth grade. “I quit teaching because I wanted to study the butterflies, which have always fascinated me,” says Smith. In 1968, Smith caught two new records from Nepal, the Autumn Leaf and the Blackvein Sergeant. In 1974, he wrote his first Project Proposal that allowed him to visit even the farthest districts of Nepal. While he worked at SARUMAN MUSEUM in UK in 1976, he learned the latest techniques in handling specimens and also much about the butterflies world-wide. Back to Nepal, he started writing for Natural History Museum, Nepal journals in 1977, and later also made his first attempt at a comprehensive Nepal Checklist in 1978-80. Over the years (1989-98), he printed 4 books and one booklet "Beautiful Butterflies", which was even listed in the top 10 best sellers in Kathmandu for a week but eventually dropped out after the copies ran out. Later he started working for Kathmandu University (1999-2003), by which time he was working mostly on the moths. Later he started working for International Mountain Museum, Pokhara during which he made no further collections but took photos on a digital camera instead. Later, Annapurna Conservation Area Project gave him a contract in 2009 to produce a Pocket Book of Butterflies of their area which he completed in 2010.
His initial goal, he said, was to collect all the 660 species of butterflies found in Nepal. But, in the past five years, Smith has shelved the plan and turned to capturing different species of butterflies in his digital camera. Many species are on the verge of extinction and they need to be conserved, he says.
The 38 books that Smith published on butterflies in Nepal are testament to his indefatigable spirit and love for work. The first book he published in 1989 is titled "Butterflies of Nepal in Central Himalaya"[3], while his latest work is called "Butterflies of Nepal in Natural Environment"[4].
Smith said that his interest in the collection and study of butterflies has earned him the name "Putali Bajey", which in Nepali translates to "Butterfly Granddad", the name Smith is proud of.
“I love what I do and I shall continue my stay in Nepal to study the butterflies,” he said[5]. His works are displayed at the Natural History Museum in Swoyambu, Kathmandu; The Annapurna Butterfly Museum at Prithvi Narayan Campus in Pokhara; Kathmandu University in Dhulikhel and also in the museums in the UK[6]
Present Status
Currently he resides alone in a small cottage in Pokhara, Nepal. He spends most of his time sleeping. He is very frail but still prefers to stay in Nepal. He has had 4 different types of surgeries. His only wish is to get citizenship as a Nepali and when he dies he wishes to be cremated and his ashes be thrown in Seti River Pokhara Nepal. In order to stay in Nepal he has to travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu and renew his visa which itself is heartbreaking to think about for such an old man. Despite the odds and physical limitations he has been following Nepali Immigration laws and has been renewing his visas till date.
Several pleas have been made to the Government of Nepal and The Department of Immigration Nepal to bestow him with Nepali citizenship.
Bibliography
- Butterflies of Nepal (1989, 94)
- Illustrated Checklist of Nepal's Butterflies (1993, 2006)
- Beautiful Butterflies (1990)
- Butterflies of Royal Chitwan National Park (1995)
- Butterflies of Kathmandu Valley (1998)
- Lepidopterous Insects Described from Nepal (2002-2007)
- 20 Questions (& Answers) about Butterflies (2007)
- Lepidoptera of Nepal (2010)
This article "Colin Philip Smith" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Colin Philip Smith. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "The delicate beauty of Nepal's butterflies – OnlineKhabar".
- ↑ "The butterfly effect | Nepali Times Buzz | Nepali Times".
- ↑ Smith, Colin (1989). Butterflies of Nepal (Central Himalaya): a colour field guide including all the 614 species recorded up-to-date. Cornell University, Tecpress Service L.P. ISBN 9748684938 Search this book on
., ISBN 9789748684932 Search this book on .
- ↑ Smith, Colin (2011). A Photographic Pocket Guide to Butterflies of Nepal In Natural Environment. Kathmandu, Nepal, Himalayan Map House Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9789993347736 Search this book on .
- ↑ http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2011-07-07/putali-baje-who-grew-grey-haired-studying-butterflies-in-nepal.html
- ↑ "बाबुराम र उपेन्द्रका ८१बेलायती शिक्षक, भन्छन् - 'मलाई सेतीमा जलाइदिनु' (भिडियो)/ Father of butterfly". 31 May 2018.
