Humayun Abdulali
| Humayun Abdulali | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Humayun Abdulali
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| Born |
19 May 1914 Kobe, Japan |
| Died | 3 June 2001 (aged 87) Mumbai, India |
| Resting place | Mumbai, India |
| Nationality | India |
| Fields | ornithology, natural history, wildlife conservation, taxonomy |
| Institutions | Bombay Natural History Society |
| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College, Mumbai |
| Spouse | Rafia Tyabji |
| Children | Akbar Abdulali (born 1955), Salman Abdulali (born 1958) |
Humayun Abdulali (19 May 1914, Kobe, Japan - 3 June 2001, Mumbai, India) was an Indian ornithologist and biologist who was also a cousin of the "birdman of India", Salim Ali. Like other naturalists of his period, he took an initial interest in shikar (hunting). Unlike Sálim Ali, his main contributions were less field-oriented and based more on bird collections, particularly those at the Bombay Natural History Society where he worked for most of his life.
Humayun Abdulali was born in Kobe in 1914 to Lulu and Najmuddin Faizalhussain Abdulali, a businessman who imported raw cotton and safety matches from India. In his unfinished autobiography (posthumously published in the book Humayan Abdulali - Naturalist Portrait and Tribute), he wrote that his interest in natural history may have been cultivated at an early age at the English Mission School in Kobe, while reading American stories on cowboys and the wild west. The Abdulali family relocated to Mumbai (then Bombay), India in 1924.
Humayun went to primary school at St Xavier's High School and later graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai in 1936 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree while also receiving the Narayan Vasudev Prize. It was while studying zoology at St Xavier's College in 1932 that he started collecting birds.
After graduating he worked for a year in his father's business (Faiz and Co.) of exporting scrap iron to Japan. He bought a second-hand 10/12 HP Harley Davidson to travel extensively in and around Bombay. He also bought an old Lancia Tourer, which he used for several months. In 1938, he and his friend Boman Patuck met with a motorcycle accident that left them seriously injured. A policeman who had hitched a ride with them died in the accident. Humayun was charged with rash and negligent driving and was subsequently acquitted by a court in Bombay. He replaced the motorbike with a Morris Minor in 1939, which he used until his death.
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