Author: admin_jmgarg

J. M. Garg as PCMM/WR

       
Article about Er. J.M. Garg ji: 1 pdf attachment
An eMagazine, Sanrakshan, has published an article on respected Garg ji as a Profile of the month July 2022.
Kindly go through it. A web version is attached herewith.
HD version can be downloaded from here.

.

Some of my Articles about eFloraofIndia:

1. Story of eFloraofIndia’s journey on 15th anniversary (2022) (Must read)
.

2. TEN YEARS OF EFLORAOFINDIA (2021)
.

3. Interview with Indian Express- A small effort on promoting efloraofindia (2015)
.
4. Journey to and through eFloraofIndia (2015)
..

5.  GREENCLEANGUIDE IN CONVERSATION WITH MR. J.M. GARG- FOUNDER EFLORAOFINDIA (2013)

.

Coverage in media on 15th anniversary of eFloraofIndia (2022)

.

eFloraofIndia work has been widely appreciated all over world.
One such example is at eFloraofIndia appreciated

.

Dainik Bhaskar news on efloraofindia and PEC Chandigarh 20.8.21

..

.

Barnstars awarded (Awards for work done on Wikimedia Commons, Wiki Species and Wikipedia) for my work, can be seen at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:J.M.Garg

.

Exhibition held at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshashala in Kolkata from 24.4 to 27.4.2007, on Bird Photography and Oil Paintings.

.

Published ‘A Photo Guide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India’ in 2007:
The need for this book was felt, as there is no book available to date, which deals comprehensively with the birds of Kolkata. This looks all the more apparent considering the book loving habits of the Kolkatan’s. Birding and bird watching is a growing hobby not only among the people of Kolkata but also all over the India. The current developments in the field of communication like internet etc. and in the field of photography have drastically changed the scenario. People are giving more attention to the pictures rather than the text, in life as a whole. This book is a non-commercial & voluntary effort from my side. Any Work done or help rendered by me & other photographers & Bird Experts, is totally voluntary and without any financial gains. That is why cost has been kept to minimum so that even a common man can afford it. Aim has been to create awareness among people about bird life in general & Wildlife in particular. This book i.e. ‘A Photo guide to the birds of Kolkata……’ aims at providing the layman as well as others with beautiful images of the birds and their behaviour in pictures, while text has been kept to the bare minimum. The reader will be able to identify most of the birds of Kolkata just by glancing through the book while enjoying beautiful pictures at the same time. The differences between different species have been well covered, wherever there is likely to be confusion.   Different birding areas in Kolkata as well as the tentative checklist of birds in these areas have also been included.

This is a unique book not only in the context of Kolkata, but also with regard to India. No book on birds till date has attempted to bring full beauty of our birds, within the reach of a common man. It is will not be out of sight to say that people want to possess a book like this but never before given such an opportunity. Future of our environment & in turn, our future, is in hands of our coming generations. They have to be informed/shown such outstanding beauty around us to enable them to think for conserving it in future.

One hundred & twelve (112) species of birds have been covered in the book. It is seen that about 70% of the birds are sighted in most parts of the India. For example, about one set of about 70% of the birds (out of the birds described in the book) may be seen in Delhi area, while another set of about 70% birds may be seen in Mumbai area.

One full page has been devoted to a single species of bird. Efforts have been made to show the bird from different angle as well as in different habitat. Close-ups have also been given wherever possible. Efforts have been made to cover different plumages and races of the birds found in Kolkata in particular and in India in general for a bird species. But by no means is it going to be complete for all the bird species. Wherever terms like Breeding etc. is specified, it refers to their plumage & does not necessarily mean that the bird is actually breeding. Efforts have been made to include photographs from Kolkata area as far as possible. However as some of the best works of about 24 photographers from all over India has been incorporated, it was not possible to show all the pictures from Kolkata area only. Similar birds have been placed on facing pages so that differences are clearly visible, along with following a particular order, familiar to the Indian Birders, as far as practicable.

A brief description has been incorporated for each bird species. It has been written in a flowing style with commas being used between different aspects of a bird so as to minimize the space requirement. No symbols have been used so that a layman does not face any difficulty in reading and understanding a bird or referring to any other page.   First the Common name has been given in the brief description, in a slightly larger font. It is seen that there are many Common names for the some birds in English. Efforts have been made to give only the most prevalent and current Common names. After that the scientific name has been given in the bracket. Different books may give different Common names but the scientific name for a species will remain the same. After that residential status of the bird has been given with respect to Kolkata. This status may vary from place to place and area to area in India. Size of the bird (average from bill tip to tail tip) in centimeters (cm) has been given after that. Further, efforts have been made to give common calls of the birds along with their typical behavior, specific diagnostic features, food habits, typical habitat, nesting etc. as far as possible and practicable, either in the brief description or separately.

Bill Harvey, a renowned Ornithologist & an author of several books on Birds of India, has contributed greatly in checking drafts of all the birds (with description & pictures), giving valuable suggestions & advising corrections etc. wherever feasible over mail.

Acknowledgement:

I am grateful for the help received from various persons, which resulted in the making of this book. Initially, it was just an idea & Nikhil Devasar helped me further exploring it & helping me with my queries. Matter was discussed & explored simultaneously with Raja Chatterjee, Secy. of an NGO ‘The Junglees’ & he constantly advised me on the project. P.P.Saha, an outstanding amateur photographer advised me regarding Anjan Bhowmick, Publisher of this book.  I am thankful to Anjan Bhomik, with whom I shared an excellent rapport from the very beginning. I am thankful to all the Photographers from all over India, who had contributed their best photos (without any payments) for this work along with their constant encouragement. Most prolific being Nikhil Devasar, Clement Francis M., Rakesh Dhareswar, Mohan Kemparaju etc. All those who have directly contributed to the book, photo credit have been given to them in the ‘Contributors to the Book’. As the work progressed, Rajesh Singh, Designer, helped me with the learning process of different aspects of the colour plates used in the book along with assisting me in the whole work. How to ensure authenticity & correctness of the details was a big question? Bill Harvey, an expert & renowned ornithologist, based in London, readily agreed to see all the drafts without any payments. He constantly advised regarding various aspects including corrections wherever required as per my tight schedule. I shall remain grateful to him in this matter. My sincere thanks also go to persons, who had helped me in the past few years in reaching to this level in the field of Birding. Prominent among them being Sumit K. Sen of Bengalbirds, Kushal Mukherjee, Sujan Chaterjee, Shubhankar & others of Prakriti Samsad, Sudhir Shivaram, Vijay Cavale, Yathin & many others from Indianaturepictures & Delhipix.

..

Exhibition in Dec.’ 2006 at Rail Utsav, on Bird Photography and Oil Paintings.

.

Along with widely roaming all over India for wildlife photography, also did the following Treks/ Meets:
Mainly from 2000 to 2010:
Sandakphu (West Bengal)
Sar Pass trek (Himachal)
Chandrakhani trek (Himachal)
Pindari Glacier Trek (Uttarakhand)
Gomukh Tapowan Trek (Uttarakhand)
Sarkundi Pass Trek (Himachal)
Har Ki Doon Trek (Uttarakhand)
Valley of Flowers Trek (Uttarakhand)
Kedarkantha Trek (Uttarakhand)
Namdapha (Arunachal Pradesh) ButterflyIndia Meet 2010
Duars (West Bengal) ButterflyIndia Meet 2008