Departed for another sanctuary: a tribute to V. Guruswami the naturalist

A long life (he was 95), one spent with a great degree of autonomy (he bounced back to full health after a stroke in the fag end of 2011 and was in fine fettle till the last week of his life), is certainly a measure of blessing. But what was truly Guruswami’s blessing was his ability to bless others with his knowledge unconditionally without expecting anything in return. He leaves behind a flock of friends (nay, more admirers than friends) at Madras Naturalists Society, a repository of local naturalist wisdom. But anyone who has known him beyond birding field visits would instantly resist the temptation to pigeonhole him into the identity of a naturalist-birder. The breadth of his knowledge was indisputably vast. To give an inkling, he could hold forth on the legendary kite flyers of Madras in the 1940s and in the same breath share the contents of his correspondence with Jim Corbett.

Raccontata dathehindu.com