Sanctuary | People
A DISTINGUISHED CAREER
Born in Dhaka in Bangladesh in 1932, Ratan Lal Brahmachary was enamoured
with wildlife and adventure in the jungles of Africa since childhood. He was an
astrophysicist by training and a student of eminent Indian theoretical physicist,
Satyendra Nath Bose. His studies were undertaken at Kolkata, Dhaka and
Hamburg. He switched streams from astrophysics to pheromones studies at the
Indian Statistical Institute under its founder Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobish. He
studied several wildlife species, notably big cats, and undertook research trips
to his beloved Africa 14 times. He joined the Indian Statistical Institute in 1957
and conducted extensive research in Marine Biological Laboratories in Italy,
France and other institutes in Europe. He retired as Professor and Head of the
Department of Embryology in 1992.
An ardent admirer of entomologist Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya,
Brahmachary studied ethology in the Amazon basin in South America and
Borneo, Indonesia. An inveterate traveller, he forged celebrated friendships with
conservationists and animal welfare professionals from across the world, including Dian Fossey who did pioneering work on gorillas
and George Adamson of Born Free fame.
He was among the fi rst scientists to observe the scent-marking behaviour of tigers to mark their territories and communicate
via biochemical messengers. Analysing the chemical nature of tiger urine (marking fl uid), Professor Brahmachary, along with
Jyotirmoy Dutta of the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and Moushumi Poddar Sarkar of the Botany Department of the Calcutta
University made the fi rst comprehensive approach towards understanding the nature of big cat pheromones.
Professor Brahmachary’s research uncovered that the molecule 2 acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) present in tiger urine (marking fl uid)
was the very same molecule that imparts the beautiful aroma to fragrant varieties of rice like basmati.
Professor Brahmachary wrote several books including Africar Jongoley Barobar (Twelve Visits to the African Jungle) and
Bagh, Shingha, Haathi (Tiger, Lion and Elephant), receiving the coveted state prize of Bengal, the Rabindra Puraskar, in 1992, for
his contributions to science popularisation in Bangla. His academic book Animal Behaviour is among the few books on the subject
written by an Indian scholar. His other books include Abar Africar Jongoley, Shingher Deshey and Bagh O Tar Gyati Goshthi. His
life’s work with big cats was summarised for a popular audience in the book, My Tryst With Big Cats (Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXV
No. 4, April 2015).
A founder patron of Zoo Check, now the Born Free Foundation, Professor Brahmachary always emphasised that wildlife
belongs in the wild and stood for compassionate treatment of animals in research. “Biology is as fascinating as probing the
mysteries of the physical universe. The inner universe of an organism or of an ecosystem is as challenging as the outer universe of
the expanding cosmos,” he once said in an interview. A life-long bachelor, Brahmachary had pledged his body to medical research.
After his students and colleagues had paid their last respects at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, his body was handed
over to the Radha Govinda Kar Hospital authorities in Kolkata.COURTESY: RATAN LAL BRAHMACHARYA MAN TO KNOW
The fi rst time I met Professor Ratan Lal Brahmachary on October 25, 2014, at his residence in Motijheel in Dum Dum, Kolkata.
Knowing he was a recluse, I was apprehensive but delighted when he agreed to meet me for an interview. My fears were
unfounded. He patiently explained his lifetime’s work with tigers and other big cats. It was enchanting to hear him elucidate
succinctly and beautifully, the varied nuances of his scientifi c research carried out across India and Africa to determine the nature
of pheromones in tigers and other big cats that act as chemical messengers.
His reminiscing about his childhood inspired me because he was a man who had the courage and conviction to follow his
dreams. His intense love for the African continent was contagious and it was heart-warming to note that a person from the
crowded surroundings of Kolkata in India could traverse across international borders and conduct research on wildlife in Kenya
together with stalwarts such as George Adamson and Gareth Patterson.
I am glad that I was able to digitise some of his invaluable correspondence and photographs with some of these wildlife
researchers, including a letter written to him by Dian Fossey from Ruhengeri in Rwanda in 1984 in response to his research on the
food habits of the mountain gorilla.
I was told that Professor Ratan Lal Brahmachary was averse to being photographed. So, it was a pleasant
surprise that he agreed to be photographed with my wife, Payel, and I when we visited him on December 31,- That occasion was the last time we met, although we kept in touch regularly over the phone. A man
of exactitude, Professor would tell me in his mellifl uous voice, “Tumi koyek seconder jonyo opekkha koro”
(Please wait for a few seconds) during an interruption whilst speaking on the phone.
I will wait to speak to you again, Sir.
A fi le picture of the founders of Zoo Check, now the Born
Free Foundation.Shubhobroto Ghosh is author of Indian Zoo Inquiry and Project Manager of Wildlife, World Animal Protection, India.ant
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