Valmik Thapar: The Man Who Made Tiger Conservation an Aspirational Brand

Thapar maybe celebrated for his films and books, but his true impact was behind the scenes, writes Bahar Dutt.

A generation of tiger safari-wallahs shall never view the king of the jungle quite the same again, writes Bahar Dutt.

(Photo: Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

yIf there was one individual who was able to build the Royal Bengal Tiger as the most iconic brand of Indian wildlife conservation, it was Valmik Thapar.

From putting a national park on the tiger map of the world to producing a series of celebrated documentaries and books, Thapar inspired an entire generation of people for India’s big cat.

He didn’t do this alone—he had the support of his guru, Fateh Singh Rathore—and together, they were able to spotlight Ranthambore and its biodiversity like no other.

In 1997, Thapar teamed up with Mike Birkhead at BBC to present the award-winning Land of the Tiger documentary, in which he sat astride an elephant and supposedly toured India’s forests.

In a blockbuster chronicle of the country's natural history, he introduced viewers to wild animals.

I had the privilege of sitting in the packed auditorium in Mumbai at an event organised by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation and listen to the man enthralling an audience of nearly 1,000 people with just the thunder of his voice, venting anger at the foolishness of a system that was becoming lax in protecting the tiger.

The author with Valmik Thapar (right) and Bittu Sahgal, editor of Sanctuary Magazine, at an event in New Delhi in 2014.

(Photo Courtesy: Bahar Dutt)

I didn’t agree with all that he said—he was a firm believer in fortress conservation—but I couldn’t help get goosebumps just sitting there in the dark listening to him, with his voice just about cracking with pain and then taking on a crescendo in praise of the tiger.

He didn’t have the powerful visuals of a skilled cinematographer nor his camera at that moment on stage. It was just his voice that evening that echoed in that auditorium, rising like a concert conductor controlling the rhythm of an orchestra, enthralling an audience with his sheer passion.

A Legacy Beyond Brand Tiger

These were his most celebrated, most popular roles. But his legacy goes beyond Brand Tiger—to the courtroom, where he sat with fellow members in a committee set up by the Supreme Court of India.

In an article for Seminar Magazine, Thapar said, “In July 2002, the Supreme Court took a decision to create a nationally empowered committee, called the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). Never before in the history of India had something like this been tried where five individuals were empowered by the apex court to judge and make recommendations on a series of different issues."

While Thapar went on to serve on many committees for the government, it was this role as a member of the CEC that would be monumental in the legacy he was building for securing India’s forests and wildlife.

This committee met every week, and away from the public eye sat Thapar, as he thundered and roared at forest officers or lawyers representing mining companies—that familiar stentorian voice jolting many out of their mid-afternoon reverie. 

A Courtroom Crusader

Not many saw him in this role, except for a handful of print journalists—TV journalists were yet to discover the importance of the CEC and its decisions. Today, there are hundreds of TV camera crews that can be seen outside the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on days when famous environment cases or those on pollution are being heard.

But in those dust-filled corridors of the CEC, not many knew about the landmark judgments coming out of it.

As someone just starting out in conservation, I would often sit in the CEC proceedings. It gave me a ringside view of how key conservation policy decisions are taken in the courtroom. Together, with members like MK Jiwrajika and Mahendra Vyas, the CEC took on the mammoth task of patiently trawling through case history and material to say yes or no to projects coming up in biodiversity-rich areas.

“It was during his time as a member of the CEC that wildlife took centre stage,” recalls environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta, who argued many times before it.

“Thapar's most significant legacy lies with his stand on Kudremukh National Park and the plan to restart mining in the area. He  wanted the company to shut down its operations there while others were not in favour of such an extreme measure. The park was saved from mining due to Thapar’s clear stance.”

Ritwick Dutta

It was this quiet role, away from the camera, that Thapar played that should perhaps be marked in gold as the world grieves his loss at the age of 73.

Wildlife historian and author Mahesh Rangarajan called it an untimely and tragic loss. "Valmik Thapar in his books and excellent photographs brought not only the tiger but the forests of India alive. He also championed policies to preserve these. All concerned with nature, even those he differs with, will find this vacuum impossible to fill," he told me.

A Champion of All Species

As someone who had just entered the world of broadcast journalism, he was hugely supportive of one the first stories I had done during my tenure as Environment Editor for the news channel CNN News18.

I mentioned in my story that the tiger had enjoyed the spotlight for too long—and it was time we turned our attention to problems faced by other species such as the Asiatic lion. Not only did he support the story but came on many of the discussions held on the subject in prime-time news, stating every wild animal needed this attention.

He was a firm believer that wildlife tourism, if done right, could be that vital bridge between the pro-people and the pro-wildlife lobby. He felt that it could provide jobs and boost the local economy rather than filling central government coffers. Thapar was inspired by the African model of conservation that generated millions in revenue and even wrote books inspired by his time there.

Many epitaphs will be written on this giant of a man. What I will personally always remember him for is that one evening in Mumbai, where I left my cynicism for top-down models of conservation aside, and revelled in the joy of meeting someone who was passionate about the big cat. A generation of tiger safari-wallahs shall never view the king of the jungle quite the same again.

RIP Valmik Thapar, always FOR the King of the Jungle. 

(The author is a conservation biologist and award winning environment journalist. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)