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Of Birds and Birdsong
India is home to over a thousand species of birds ranging from glittering sunbirds, peacocks and pheasants through to unassuming inhabitants of town and countryside like crows, sparrows and pigeons to those that are rare and threatened like the Indian Bustard. In this book, many of them are brought to vivid life by one of the country’s greatest naturalists and nature writers.
M. Krishnan’s prose is studded with evocative descriptions of nature, literary allusions, stylistic flourishes, humour, and most rewardingly, precise observations and original insights into over a hundred species of birds in a variety of habitats. This is a work that will delight bird lovers of every stripe.
As Zafar Futehally, one of the country’s best known ornithologists, says in his forward, ‘Every piece in this collection has something even for the seasoned naturalist, and even his description of common events holds your interest because of the writing.’
M. Krishnan’s prose is studded with evocative descriptions of nature, literary allusions, stylistic flourishes, humour, and most rewardingly, precise observations and original insights into over a hundred species of birds in a variety of habitats. This is a work that will delight bird lovers of every stripe.
As Zafar Futehally, one of the country’s best known ornithologists, says in his forward, ‘Every piece in this collection has something even for the seasoned naturalist, and even his description of common events holds your interest because of the writing.’
328 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2012
32 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
M. Krishnan
14 books8 followersMadhaviah Krishnan (30 June 1912 – 18 February 1996), better known as M. Krishnan, was a pioneering Indian wildlife photographer, writer and naturalist.
M. Krishnan was born in Tirunelveli on 30 June 1912 and was the youngest of eight siblings. His father was a Tamil writer and reformer A. Madhaviah ( A. Madhaviah) who worked with the Salt and Abkari Department of the Government of Madras.
Krishnan studied in the Hindu High School and developed an interest in literature, art and nature. His family lived in Mylapore, and in those days it was covered in shrub and teemed with bird life, jackals and blackbucks. Krishnan even had a pet mongoose. In 1927 Krishnan joined the Presidency College and graduated with a BA in 1931. He also took a keen interest in botany, taught by Professor P. F. Fyson. He accompanied Fyson on field trips to the Nilgiris and the Kodaikanal hills and also acquired watercolour painting techniques from Professor Fyson's wife.
He initially wrote in several Tamil magazines. In 1942, he was offered employment by the Maharaja of Sandur near Bellary in Karnataka. Krishnan took up this position and the works he undertook included being a schoolteacher, judge, publicity officer and a political secretary to the Maharaja. He spent a lot of his time wandering in the wilderness, observing nature, tried grazing sheep, breeding pigeons to work in a pigeon postal system and writing. His essays on wildlife photography were published in The Illustrated Weekly of India in a series entitled Wildlife Photographers Diary. He also wrote in The Hindu by the pen-name of Z. In the Sunday Statesman he wrote under his own name.
In 1949, Sandur was unified in the Indian republic. From 1950 he wrote a bi-weekly column in The Statesman of Calcutta called 'Country Notebook'. In this column he wrote about various aspects of natural history. This column continued for 46 years, from 1950 to 18 February 1996, the day he died.
Along with his whimsical prose, poetry and drawing he used photography as another tool for expression. He worked only with black and white film. His equipment was, according to naturalist E. P. Gee, 'a large, composite affair, with the body of one make and a tele lens of another, and other parts and accessories all ingeniously mounted together by himself. I cannot swear that I saw proverbial bootlace used to fix them all together, but I am sure there must have been some wire and hoop somewhere!' He called his equipment the Super Ponderosa. Krishnan was a not a big fan of technological advances and was unimpressed by the display of India's first jet aircraft. He declared them as mechanical, chemical and inhuman and was impressed more by the living muscular speed of animals... and if you want to see something sustained in its effortless, rhythmic impetuosity, you should watch a herd of blackbuck going all out for a few miles-there is tangible, real speed for you.
Krishnan was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 1960 for his work and the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1968. His birth centenary in 2012, was commemorated by the Madras Naturalists' Society, Prakriti Foundation and the IIT Wildlife Club. The Madras Naturalists' Society which featured most of Krishnan's writings in their journal Blackbuck in the 1990s gives away the "M. Krishnan Memorial Nature Writing Award" annually.
M. Krishnan was born in Tirunelveli on 30 June 1912 and was the youngest of eight siblings. His father was a Tamil writer and reformer A. Madhaviah ( A. Madhaviah) who worked with the Salt and Abkari Department of the Government of Madras.
Krishnan studied in the Hindu High School and developed an interest in literature, art and nature. His family lived in Mylapore, and in those days it was covered in shrub and teemed with bird life, jackals and blackbucks. Krishnan even had a pet mongoose. In 1927 Krishnan joined the Presidency College and graduated with a BA in 1931. He also took a keen interest in botany, taught by Professor P. F. Fyson. He accompanied Fyson on field trips to the Nilgiris and the Kodaikanal hills and also acquired watercolour painting techniques from Professor Fyson's wife.
He initially wrote in several Tamil magazines. In 1942, he was offered employment by the Maharaja of Sandur near Bellary in Karnataka. Krishnan took up this position and the works he undertook included being a schoolteacher, judge, publicity officer and a political secretary to the Maharaja. He spent a lot of his time wandering in the wilderness, observing nature, tried grazing sheep, breeding pigeons to work in a pigeon postal system and writing. His essays on wildlife photography were published in The Illustrated Weekly of India in a series entitled Wildlife Photographers Diary. He also wrote in The Hindu by the pen-name of Z. In the Sunday Statesman he wrote under his own name.
In 1949, Sandur was unified in the Indian republic. From 1950 he wrote a bi-weekly column in The Statesman of Calcutta called 'Country Notebook'. In this column he wrote about various aspects of natural history. This column continued for 46 years, from 1950 to 18 February 1996, the day he died.
Along with his whimsical prose, poetry and drawing he used photography as another tool for expression. He worked only with black and white film. His equipment was, according to naturalist E. P. Gee, 'a large, composite affair, with the body of one make and a tele lens of another, and other parts and accessories all ingeniously mounted together by himself. I cannot swear that I saw proverbial bootlace used to fix them all together, but I am sure there must have been some wire and hoop somewhere!' He called his equipment the Super Ponderosa. Krishnan was a not a big fan of technological advances and was unimpressed by the display of India's first jet aircraft. He declared them as mechanical, chemical and inhuman and was impressed more by the living muscular speed of animals... and if you want to see something sustained in its effortless, rhythmic impetuosity, you should watch a herd of blackbuck going all out for a few miles-there is tangible, real speed for you.
Krishnan was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 1960 for his work and the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1968. His birth centenary in 2012, was commemorated by the Madras Naturalists' Society, Prakriti Foundation and the IIT Wildlife Club. The Madras Naturalists' Society which featured most of Krishnan's writings in their journal Blackbuck in the 1990s gives away the "M. Krishnan Memorial Nature Writing Award" annually.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 18, 2022
Some books need to be read in the right setting and the ambience. I think that I was able to fully justify the brilliance of this book by reading it in the most appropriate way. I decided to start reading this book after a reading break while visiting my native place. Took this book to the fields, forest and all the natural settings around my ancestral place back in Kerala.
It was a sheer delight reading through many anecdotes and insights present in the book. Again there cannot be any one reason for me to not like this book. I would be biased because I am certainly in awe of aves forever. What the author does is to prod along those lines and let you also witness the beauty of birds in its purest sense.
The cover of the book consists of golden backed woodpecker. While reading the book I saw a golden backed woodpecker forage a dead teak tree from ground to the topmost point. Also there were other instances when I was reading about a bird in the article and that bird was right in front of me. I am sure that I would keep going back to this book again and again in future.
It was a sheer delight reading through many anecdotes and insights present in the book. Again there cannot be any one reason for me to not like this book. I would be biased because I am certainly in awe of aves forever. What the author does is to prod along those lines and let you also witness the beauty of birds in its purest sense.
The cover of the book consists of golden backed woodpecker. While reading the book I saw a golden backed woodpecker forage a dead teak tree from ground to the topmost point. Also there were other instances when I was reading about a bird in the article and that bird was right in front of me. I am sure that I would keep going back to this book again and again in future.
September 25, 2020
I grew up in a calm, verdant village in Kerala. Since the nature around was plentiful and enticing, I took to observing it as a kid. And as some of its most interesting inhabitants, birds caught my eye too. And that's why when I returned home during the lockdown almost 3 months ago, 'Of Birds and Birdsong' was the only book I carried with me.
The book is so well written and has something for everyone- from the avid birdwatcher to the novice or be it the nature enthusiast or someone who picks it up for a good read. Krishnan offers a lot of interesting insights on birds around us with regards to their behaviour and life. But the book is far from a field guide. Krishnan is in his element as a storyteller- be it about the winged marvels who form the subjects of the book or the kindly man who spent a lifetime watching them. His observations are strewn with incidents from his life and help you understand more of a lot of the birds you see around you in India.
In my opinion, this book is not one to be read from cover to cover but rather savoured in peace, one piece at a time- preferably outdoors or with a view of it. I enjoyed reading this over the last few weeks enriched by the knowledge I gained but more than that, by the new habit of lifting my eye from the book towards the sky and the trees to see who's there. And to hear song in what was noise, or worse, indifference till just a month or so ago.
The book is so well written and has something for everyone- from the avid birdwatcher to the novice or be it the nature enthusiast or someone who picks it up for a good read. Krishnan offers a lot of interesting insights on birds around us with regards to their behaviour and life. But the book is far from a field guide. Krishnan is in his element as a storyteller- be it about the winged marvels who form the subjects of the book or the kindly man who spent a lifetime watching them. His observations are strewn with incidents from his life and help you understand more of a lot of the birds you see around you in India.
In my opinion, this book is not one to be read from cover to cover but rather savoured in peace, one piece at a time- preferably outdoors or with a view of it. I enjoyed reading this over the last few weeks enriched by the knowledge I gained but more than that, by the new habit of lifting my eye from the book towards the sky and the trees to see who's there. And to hear song in what was noise, or worse, indifference till just a month or so ago.
October 11, 2017
Of Birds and Birdsong is one of those books that capture your heart as soon as you lay your eyes on their pleasing cover and title. But, it’s neither the cover nor title that holds the real appeal of this book; it’s the content: a beautiful collection of writing on birds that really forces you to pick it up and finish it in one sitting. Every single chapter - that were initially articles appearing in various publications around the nation - is a pure masterpiece: a constant flow of words that are full of precise details or casual observation on birds of India, either rare or common. But, it’s indeed M. Krishnan’s writings on common species that fascinate me so much. Such beautifully crafted words that make even the commonest of Indian birds, such as House Sparrows, House Crows or Common Mynahs, appear to be as fascinating as any other rare and attractive species found in India. And, yet these writings are not boring research papers, full of detailed observation they are alright, but so nicely sprinkled with just the right amount of humour that even the heart of a non-birder would be entertained up to the brim, should they decide to pick it up for reading. The chapters that pleased me the most are The Poor Man’s Dog , Pigeon Post, Friendly Hobgoblins, Sparrows, and almost all of the chapters in the section ‘The Ear that Hears’ are praiseworthy, the way in which he describes bird songs so effortlessly.
I must admit that it’s not really just the beauty of writings that make me love this book so much, but it’s also how I found this book filled with so much information about the nature, habits, and habitats of birds. Indeed, this book has added a whole new perspective in the way I observe birds and the way I write about them. It’s not only important to write beautifully about birds to make your writing enjoyable for all sorts of audience by adding humour and such, but it’s also how you blend bald facts and mundane observation and then put them in such well-crafted, precise and compelling words that the readers’ enjoyment gets doubled with the knowledge they gain about our feathered-friends.
Of Birds and Birdsong is yet another precious jewel added to the treasure of bird literature in India, and I definitely recommend this book to anyone who feels even a little inclined towards learning about one of the most important natural wealth of India that we are so proud of: more than a thousand species of birds.
Posted at http://scribblednotes.in/review-of-bi...
I must admit that it’s not really just the beauty of writings that make me love this book so much, but it’s also how I found this book filled with so much information about the nature, habits, and habitats of birds. Indeed, this book has added a whole new perspective in the way I observe birds and the way I write about them. It’s not only important to write beautifully about birds to make your writing enjoyable for all sorts of audience by adding humour and such, but it’s also how you blend bald facts and mundane observation and then put them in such well-crafted, precise and compelling words that the readers’ enjoyment gets doubled with the knowledge they gain about our feathered-friends.
Of Birds and Birdsong is yet another precious jewel added to the treasure of bird literature in India, and I definitely recommend this book to anyone who feels even a little inclined towards learning about one of the most important natural wealth of India that we are so proud of: more than a thousand species of birds.
Posted at http://scribblednotes.in/review-of-bi...
February 6, 2019
A gift from a friend, Of Birds and Birdsong mesmerized me completely. A collection of the works of M Krishnan, compiled by Shanthi and Ashish Chandola, I took my friend's advice and traversed through it slowly, reading each column patiently. Krishnan's writing in itself is magical; he notes the atmosphere around him with beautiful precision, perhaps better than many a poet. Reading his accounts of the birds felt like delving into painting a picture, each description a poignant account of how a certain bird looks and how it lives. I was transported to the settings magically and the pieces gave me comfort in the maddening New Delhi traffic. I also appreciate how the compilers got an illustrator to re-draw Krishnan's original sketches and doodles, and they added enormously to the feel of the text. It was particularly endearing to read about his relationship with his grandchild at the end of the book and how sensitive and eccentric he could be.
Having said that, I am unconvinced by the sections the book is divided into. Having no particular knowledge of birds, I felt the divisions made me categorically see the pieces with an overarching theme, something I believe Krishnan himself wouldn't have been completely comfortable with. Yet, I still think it was a wonderful effort and Krishnan's writing itself was wholly poetic, intricately carved and much more convincing that all the famous Romantics.
Having said that, I am unconvinced by the sections the book is divided into. Having no particular knowledge of birds, I felt the divisions made me categorically see the pieces with an overarching theme, something I believe Krishnan himself wouldn't have been completely comfortable with. Yet, I still think it was a wonderful effort and Krishnan's writing itself was wholly poetic, intricately carved and much more convincing that all the famous Romantics.
September 12, 2021
A grand collection of writings by M. Krishnan. Each piece is a beautiful recollection of his birdwatching adventures, which transport you right back to where he witnessed the event. Reading his works, I felt sad about the loss of birdlife in India over the time period between his texts and my observations/experience (especially of vultures). His descriptions of small, usually missable details bring about a sense of joy that is unique among naturalist writings. Definitely worth reading!
February 22, 2016
I see myself revisiting this book often.
June 13, 2023
Krishnan writes with warmth, joy and detail one can only expect from someone who has found their life's fulfilment in their work. It is akin to listening to a wise elder, one who only wishes to tell a story without waxing poetic on morals and subtext. He also comes across as a self-assured, yet humble character whose expertise and confidence don't translate to arrogance. This is best confirmed by touching odes and anecdotes from his relatives and friends in the prologue and epilogue.
The book itself is a collection of short essays and observations on birds Krishnan encountered in all walks of life, and goes to show that a keen observer does not need a specialised setting to bring out their best. There is something for everyone, I learnt a ton of interesting things on the behaviour of many birds I had already encountered, and others I haven't yet, and learnt the most on how one just needs to observe everything they see with patience and therein lies the joy.
This is a lovely book, and I am glad to have found M Krishnan.
The book itself is a collection of short essays and observations on birds Krishnan encountered in all walks of life, and goes to show that a keen observer does not need a specialised setting to bring out their best. There is something for everyone, I learnt a ton of interesting things on the behaviour of many birds I had already encountered, and others I haven't yet, and learnt the most on how one just needs to observe everything they see with patience and therein lies the joy.
This is a lovely book, and I am glad to have found M Krishnan.
May 26, 2019
It's been a third book in the last 2 months which collection of short stories and totally loved reading whenever I find time during this week.
Amazing book recommended by my naturalist friend, during our recent expedition to Meghalaya and strongly recommended it to read. After coming, I have immediately ordered for one and picked up the next week it arrived, what can I say, completely immersed and couldn't stop myself finishing one after the another story from huge collection of Krishnan's work over period of time. Kudos to publishers for the efforts of compiling the Krishnan's work and sad to know couldn't retrieve his art work.
I would highly recommend this for any bird and nature enthusiast to understand about our feathered friends, and how they were been part of life during his time, his observations and studies, shares lot of information about individuals
Amazing book recommended by my naturalist friend, during our recent expedition to Meghalaya and strongly recommended it to read. After coming, I have immediately ordered for one and picked up the next week it arrived, what can I say, completely immersed and couldn't stop myself finishing one after the another story from huge collection of Krishnan's work over period of time. Kudos to publishers for the efforts of compiling the Krishnan's work and sad to know couldn't retrieve his art work.
I would highly recommend this for any bird and nature enthusiast to understand about our feathered friends, and how they were been part of life during his time, his observations and studies, shares lot of information about individuals
January 16, 2019
The power and joy of the book lies in how Mr Krishnan is able to present his observations on the everyday life of birds around us. Rarely does the book deal with an exotic bird species. It talks delightfully of the ordinary birds we find in our cities and towns - crows, sparrows, drongos, parakeets, egrets, lapwings, shikras, shrikes, owls etc. - and the observation skills of the writer are so good that the reader will come to know a great deal of new and very interesting things about these birds. The prose and the style is also very enjoyable and the English is impeccable. Anyone who delights in birds and feels the simple joy of observing the bits of wildlife that we still can in India, in urban and semi-rural settings, should read this book.
April 29, 2023
This is a book for ornithologists, you think? Speciality stuff? Yes. And no. Even for people who are not interested in birds, who have no idea what a shrike looks like or the paddy bird or the Pied Wagtail, who cannot tell a hawk from a kite, either because they are city birds (ahem), or because they are short sighted, this book is a joy to read.
Most of it is made up of short articles, or middles, at once light and erudite, rising at times to poetry (as he writes about kingfishers, for instance), appealing equally to the serious bird lover, who strides out at sunrise with field glasses, as well as to the tolerant flat dweller who fixes a small feeder or the housewife who leaves out a saucer of water in the little balcony in the summer months.
What is truly enjoyable is the language of love for the Indian countryside, and alas, as many reviewers have observed, the growing loss of habitat means that many even of the now common species are slowly disappearing. The ubiquitous crow, for instance, has been all but replaced in urban surroundings by the pigeon. And now that telegrams are a thing of the past, where are the perches about which Krishnan writes so lovingly?
Whether he talks of cock fights, or Homer pigeons, one aspect of it strikes you more than anything: the total absorption and curiosity about what he sees about him, and the fact that he describes it all with no judgemental reproach, apart from being very critical of the government for some of its policies, or for failing to take wildlife into consideration while framing its conservation programmes.
Most of it is made up of short articles, or middles, at once light and erudite, rising at times to poetry (as he writes about kingfishers, for instance), appealing equally to the serious bird lover, who strides out at sunrise with field glasses, as well as to the tolerant flat dweller who fixes a small feeder or the housewife who leaves out a saucer of water in the little balcony in the summer months.
What is truly enjoyable is the language of love for the Indian countryside, and alas, as many reviewers have observed, the growing loss of habitat means that many even of the now common species are slowly disappearing. The ubiquitous crow, for instance, has been all but replaced in urban surroundings by the pigeon. And now that telegrams are a thing of the past, where are the perches about which Krishnan writes so lovingly?
Whether he talks of cock fights, or Homer pigeons, one aspect of it strikes you more than anything: the total absorption and curiosity about what he sees about him, and the fact that he describes it all with no judgemental reproach, apart from being very critical of the government for some of its policies, or for failing to take wildlife into consideration while framing its conservation programmes.
December 29, 2019
I LOVE THIS BOOK I JUST LOVE 🦅 AND THERE LOVELY BIRDS SONGS I HAVE SOME CDS WHERE THE BIRDS SINGING THERE LOVELY FLYING NORTH EAST SOUTH AND WEST SONGS I LOVE TO WAKE UP AND LISTEN TO THE BIRDS SINGING EARLY IN THE MORNING AND DAWN THE BABY BIRDS CALLING MOM. I DO THAT DAILY LISTEN TO THE BIRDS BEAUTIFUL I LOVE THIS BOOK.
August 9, 2017
A book so whimsical and crowded with a million amusing and sometimes wistful and melancholic details. Recommended for all bird lovers and for those who love writings that are slightly quaint and charmingly and politely witty.
October 21, 2019
Incredibly well written book about Indian birds, even if a little outdated. Krishnan is impeccable with his choice of words, and his love for birds pours through every page.
An absolute must read for any birdwatcher in India! 🐦
An absolute must read for any birdwatcher in India! 🐦
November 5, 2019
Very good book to know about the birds and birdsongs. The illustrations could have been in colour. I googled the images to better understand the descriptions of the birds.
October 10, 2020
This was a real treat. A collection of articles from the 1950s onwards that evoke place and wildlife brilliantly. It speaks surprisingly directly to our current crises. One to dip into and savour.
April 17, 2021
Superb history of the birds of New Zealand
March 13, 2023
A gentle book that grows on you with each article. I read it cover to cover (in contrary to the suggestion given at the start), delighting in its richness of information and thoughts.
June 8, 2014
M Krishnan is inimitable! He could very well describe a table and it would leave me gaping "Wow, what a wonderful table!". Such is his way with words. Almost every other piece made me chuckle. My only complaint with this book is some of the pieces ended very abruptly.
September 19, 2015
wonderfully written. the style of prose, Krishnan's keen observations about birds and his apt humour all make this book a must-read for any nature enthusiast!
November 12, 2015
Krishnan is a master of when it comes to simplicity of prose. Bowing down to the grand beauty of Nature and letting that take over.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews