Archives of Contemporary India
Supported by HDFC LTD.
Raza H. Tehsin (b. 1941) is one of the initiators of wildlife conservation movement in southern Rajasthan. He has been instrumental in the establishment of game sanctuaries like Phulwari-Ki-Nal, Sitamata and Sajjangarh and has reported for the first time 14 species from this region. He is one of the early naturalists of India to study the effects of Solar Eclipse on fauna. He drew public attention to the free export of frogs, which prevent malaria. It resulted in its ban by the Government of Rajasthan and curb its export by the Government of India. He also proposed a ban on the slaughter of jackals highlighting their role as scavengers, which resulted in the up-gradation of this animal to Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. He worked on a project to study the Himalayan fish snow trout and Saraswati River.
He is a member of Tiger Conservation Foundation, Government of Rajasthan; Zoo Advisory Committee, Udaipur; Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai; WWF-India; Wildlife Preservation Society of Dehra Dun; and former member of Advisory Board of Wildlife, Government of Rajasthan.
He received Honorary Ph.D by Jyotish Mahavidyalaya, Roorkee; Honorary Warden, Udaipur District, Department of Forest, Government of Rajasthan; and Honorary membership, Wildlife Conservation Society of India.
Raza has done faunal surveys of areas like Jawar Mines (1987), Matoon Mines (1987), Rajpura Dariba Mines (1987), Rampura Agoocha Mines (1988), Sitamata Sanctuary and Chanderiya (1990). A pioneering survey to ascertain the Most Beautiful Tree of India was led by him. He is also the compiler of the checklist of birds of Southern Rajasthan.
He has authored more than 60 research notes and papers in international and national journals like Tiger Paper (issued by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation), Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, Cheetal, Zoo’s Print Journal, Newsletter for Birdwatcher, Indian Forester, and Hornbill. He has co-authored books with Arefa Tehsin, Tales from the Wild (2011), The Land of the Setting Sun and Other Nature Tales (2014), Do Tigers Drink Blood and 13 Other Mysteries of Nature (2015), and Steed of the Jungle: Thrilling Experiences in the Wild (2018).
About the collection: The collection consists of papers related to several projects conducted by Raza Tehsin like Chanderia Project (1988-1991), Rampura Agucha Project, Development at Moti Magri, and Fishes of Jaisamand. There is correspondence with the editors of various journals and organisations including Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti, Burhani Foundation, World Pheasant Association, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Wildlife India (Udaipur), and State Council of Educational Research and Training. Also includes, several published and unpublished articles, reprints of research papers in journals and press clippings. Some personal notebooks and handwritten notes on faunal surveys are also in the collection. Apart from these, photographs/negatives also form a part of the collection. The papers provide an extraordinary insight into the research and development of wildlife conservation in Rajasthan.
