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P. Jeganathan

From Tamil Wiki

இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: ப. ஜெகநாதன் ‎

P. Jeganathan. Thanks to Hindu Tamil Magazine

P. Jeganathan (Born March 8, 1975) is a wildlife biologist, writer, educator and environmentalist. He researches and writes about wildlife and habitat conversation. He also translates books from English to Tamil. He is a nature educator who teaches natural history and trains people from all ages, children to research candidates on biodiversity conservation.

P. Jeganathan in the field, birding

Birth, Education

P. Jeganathan was born in Karanthai (also called Karunthattankudi/Karunthittaikkudi) in Tanjore to Panchapakesan and Sathyavani Muthu on March 8, 1975. He has a younger sister.

P. Jeganathan completed his schooling at I. Kumarasamy high school at Karanthai and Boiler plant Boys higher secondary school at Trichy. He obtained an undergraduate degree in Zoology from E.V.R Periyar college at Trichy. He completed his masters in wildlife biology at Mayiladuthurai AVC college in 1998.

He was a researcher in BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society) from 2000 to 2008. He obtained a doctorate in Zoology (PhD) in 2007 from Mumbai University through his research on the Jerdon's Courser, which was once thought to be extinct, a rare bird local to Andhra Pradesh.

Personal Life

P. Jeganathan lives in Tirupur with his wife Sheeba. She is a lecturer on zoology at L.R.G Government Women's Arts College and a researcher in ornithology. Their son is named Anril, which is a bird mentioned in ancient tamil sangam poetry.

He works as wildlife biologist since 2008 at the Nature Conservation Foundation headquartered at Mysore.

Writings

P. Jeganathan is a prolific writer in Tamil. He writes through his blog "uyiri", The Hindu Tamil Magazine and The Hindu (English). He has written several series of essays about natural history, wildlife biology, habitat conservation. He has translated books from English to Tamil.

Research Works

  • P. Jeganathan has been researching the bird Jerdon's Courser since 2008 till date. Jerdon's Courser was once considered extinct and rediscovered in 1986. It is a rare nocturnal bird local only to Andhra Pradesh. He worked on conservation of its habitat.[1]. "Nature In Focus" magazine published his interview on this subject[2]. He also worked with Asad R. Rahmani on the adverse impacts of Andhra Ganga Canal project that cuts through the bird's habitat and submitted research report to the government to take steps to mitigate the impact[3]. He was one of the participants in the committee that prepared the species recovery plan (SRP) for Jerdon's Courser [4].
  • He created awareness on the importance of Western Ghats in the Indian ecosystem to students and citizens of Annamalai and Valparai regions through nature conservation education project [5].
  • He contributed to nature education and awareness through three different means[6]
    • Publishing books, essays and field guides
    • Training students, journalists & researchers
    • Influencing citizens to participate in science & conservation projects
  • He worked on the research, recording and preventing road kills in the roads that cut through forests of Valparai[7]
  • He is researching about globally threatened species such as Black Bellied Tern, River Tern and Lesser Fish Eagle that are found in Kaveri and Kollidam rivers[8][9].
  • He is involved in digitizing the register and specimen in the Government Museum, Chennai[10].

Field work

  • He has been conducting workshops since 2003 about writing in regional languages to researchers in natural history and nature conservation science, to establish the importance of nature writing in regional language and to advise writers in the process.
  • Involved in organizing Tamil birders' network.
  • Engages and influences citizens to contribute to science projects via SeasonWatch and Tamil birders' network.
  • Trains people on bird watching through online and in-person workshops.
  • Collaborated with forest department in designing & devising birding field guides.
  • He has shared his nature & wildlife photographs and made them accessible to public through Wikimedia [11]

Contribution

P. Jeganathan's works in two aspects are his most notable contributions (apart from full time research at work).

  • Organizing and moving public of Tamilnadu to participate in recording the biodiversity of Tamilnadu in appropriate channels is an important contribution. He was one of the founders of Tamil birders' network that organized individual birding effort into streamlined and orchestrated one that aims to create awareness on birds and their conservation. He ensured annual events such as Pongal bird count and Great backyard bird count are taken seriously with wider participation. SeasonWatch is an India-wide program that studies the changing seasons by monitoring the annual cycles of flowering, fruiting and leaf-flush of common trees. P. Jeganathan organized groups to record these cycles in Seasonwatch. He has trained students from about 50 schools on Seasonwatch.
  • P. Jeganathan has taken notable measures to ensure natural history and conservation related literature is easily accessible in local languages. He has written prolifically in Tamil language and encouraged eager citizens to do so. He also paved way for such regional language essays to be published in well known magazines. He has conducted workshops and spoken at conferences to spread the need for nature articles in local languages.

Writings

Books
Jaganathan and Asai jointly wrote the introductory book on birds
Jaganathan, R. Banumathi Co-authored an introductory book - Thattangal Uchithattangal
  • Paravaigal Arimuga Kaiyedu (Birding field guide) (Co authored with Aasai) - Kriya publishers (2012).(Second edition published in 2019).
  • Thattangal, Oosithattangal Arimuga Kaiyedu (co authord with R. Banumathi) - Kriya publishers (2013).
  • Merkuthodarchi Malaigalil Vazhum Siru Oonunnigal (Smaller carnivores that live in Western Ghats). (co authored with Divya Muthappa) Pages 1-22. Wildlife conservation society (WCS), Newyork & Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun.
Collection of Essays in Tamil
  • Iyarkaiyin vasalil (At the doorstep of nature) - 21 essays on nature - The Hindu Tamil Thisai (July - November 2014)
  • Iyarkaiyin Pezhaiyilirunthu (From the basket of nature) - 25 essays on natural history of Tamilnadu - The Hindu Tamil Thisai (September 2023 - March 2024)
  • Articles published on his blog "Uyiri" related to birds, nature & conservation
    • Anjal thalaiyum paravaigalum (birds & stamps) - 30 essays on birds that appear in different country's stamps[12].
    • 30 essays on endangered birds in Tamilnadu and the reason for their declining trend[13]
  • Kakkai Kuruvi Engal Jaathi - 16 essays on nature - Puthiya thalaimurai weekly[14].
  • Essays on wildlife published in Dinamani daily magazine:
    • Gaps and Obstacles - Dinamani Daily - As part of the Kondattam supplementary. 29 Janurary 2012.[15]
    • Sittukkuruvigal Unmaiyileye Azhinthuvarukinranava? (Are sparrows really threatened) Dinamani Daily Magazine 22 April 2012.[16]
Collection of Essays in English
Translations
Yaanaigalum Arasargalum translated by Jaganathan with Theodore Bhaskaran published by Kalachuvadu Publications.
  • Yaanaigalum Arasargalum (Elephants and Kings) - Thomas R. Trautmann - Kalachuvadu (Translation: P. Jeganathan, Theodore Baskaran)
  • Enji Nirkum Marangal (Last Ones Standing) - Madhavan A P, Kshama V. Bhat & K. Srinivasan (Translation: P. Jeganathan)
  • Kurangugal Kanganippu (Watching Monkeys) - Guide for Kalakkadu-Mundanthurai Tiger's reserve. Rohini Mann, H. S. Sushma, V. K. Melkhani and A. Udhayan (2009) (Translation: P. Jeganathan)
  • Ilaya thalaimuraikku mazhaikkattaippatriya thagavalgal (Information on rainforests for the new generation) - By Rhett Ayers Butler (2006). (Translation: P. Jeganathan)(2011)

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Saving the endangered Jerdon's Courser
  2. ↑ Interview including the discovery, conservation efforts for Jerdon's Courser.
  3. ↑ The research report on impact of the Telugu Ganga Canal project that cuts through Jerdon's Courser's habitat
  4. ↑ Jerdon's Courser Species Recovery Plan
  5. ↑ Creating awareness to students and citizens on the importance of Western Ghats.
  6. ↑ Nature education in Tamilnadu project
  7. ↑ Project to prevent roadkills
  8. ↑ Riverine birds of Kaveri and Kollidam 1
  9. ↑ Riverine birds of Kaveri and Kollidam 2
  10. ↑ Digitising records and specimens in Museums
  11. ↑ Jeganathan's wildlife photographs
  12. ↑ Birds and Stamps
  13. ↑ Endangered species of Tamilnadu
  14. ↑ Copy of the essay published in Puthiya thalaimurai news organisation
  15. ↑ Gaps and obstacles, An article about roadkills in forests, published in Dinamani daily magazine
  16. ↑ Are house sparrows really threatened, An article published in Dinamani daily magazine

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✅Finalised Page


First published on: 09-Aug-2024, 10:38:39 IST

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