Valmik Thapar, iconic tiger crusader & wild's roaring voice, falls silent at 73

“...I see what I have come looking for, a huge male tiger, walking along the path towards me, his steps relaxed and unhurried, but carrying within them the promise of explosive power. On he comes, the great muscles of his shoulders moving under the skin with every stride, the yellow eyes in his massive head never leaving the vehicle in his path. Although I've watched wild tigers from up close for decades, there is still no sight that moves me as much. A moment longer, there is light in the sky now, it catches his coat, the colours explode in orange and gold, his eyes burn, and then he leaps smoothly, silently, into the grass and is gone, a long streak of flowing liquid fire,” wrote Valmik Thapar in his 2017 book, “Tiger Fire”.

Advertisement

Thapar wrote as he felt deeply, his reverence for the tiger pouring out in his words. For many decades, Thapar, who passed away at the age of 73 on Saturday morning, was the voice and face of the Panthera tigris — writing scores of books on the subject, serving on government committees, making movies on tigers and taking issues connected to tigers to the international stage.

For Indian viewers, the first wildlife documentaries they saw had Thapar, not David Attenborough. In the 1980s, Thapar started the Ranthambhore foundation which worked closely on tiger conservation around the Ranthambhore tiger reserve. The park was soon to become what is arguably India’s best known tiger reserve. He also propelled the Ranthambhore School of Art, which had a hyper-real, finely drawn style of painting tigers.

“Valmik was one who found a near spiritual connect with a forest landscape and followed its calling with a lifelong dedication. He found solutions to protect the frontiers of his map with passion, creativity and dedication; leading with his writings and intellect,” says Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF-India.

“He was his own institution and yet contributed to others in his own differentiated way, showing a direction few had pioneered in India. His voice emerges from his writings and compositions, inspiring many over the years. We will miss his booming voice across long tables and from meeting halls,” he adds.

Thapar served on many government committees. In a tiger task force set up in 2003 to provide a roadmap for tiger reserves, he put in a dissent note. “Polemics… and dreaming cannot save the tiger in the real world,” he wrote, advocating for stricter protection for tigers and less of a focus on pleasing all interest groups. His protectionist, more guns-and-guards views gained him critics, but most would agree that Thapar’s voice for the Indian wildlife, and especially the tiger, was unfaltering.

“Valmik’s main interest was the single-minded pursuit of the happiness of the tiger at all costs. His dedication was beyond compare. He could have done many things, but he spent all his life on saving the tiger,” says Bikram Grewal, who served on the Rajasthan state board for wildlife with Thapar. “Valmik spoke to speak truth to power,” says Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary Asia.

I remember him as someone who wouldn’t back down from a fight. Some years ago, he had heard of my disagreement with a park officer, and had called me to offer help. I didn’t take his help, but the offer was typical of Thapar: he used his voice in the way he loved best — booming, uncompromising and full of conviction.