From vivek@EE.Princeton.EDU Tue Jun 27 20:19:33 2000
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 01:23:49 -0400
From: Vivek Tiwari 
To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research
    
Subject: Field Guide to Indian Trees


The documents mentioned below are available on the Nathistory-India
attachments website:
http://home.att.net/~spiderhunters/attachments.htm

under:
25. "Field Guide to Indian Trees", Text of the Introductory chapter (.doc): Model accounts of a few tree species (.doc): List of species to be described/illustrated (.xls) - posted 22nd June, 2000 by Utkarsh Ghate. 

I also hope that you will join me in welcoming Utkarsh back, and
wishing him a complete and speedy recovery, from his terrible
accident last year.

Vivek
vivek@ee.princeton.edu
------------------------------------

>From: Utkarsh Ghate [ranwa@pn3.vsnl.net.in]
>Subject: Fieldguide to Indian trees
>Date: Wed 6/21/00 5:11 AM

Dear Friends,

I am a Mumbai university student registered for Ph.D. under Mr. M.
R. Almeida, an reknowned taxonomist. My subject is Forest trees of
Western Ghats. However, my work will be primarily ecological, with no
taxonomic touch, that I am entirely ignorant of. I will be glad to share
my intended thesis outline, should someone request it from me.

I am employed at the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore for last
four years, assisting Prof. Madhav Gadgil primarily in running a network
college teachers and students, besides some policy issues like
dcentralisation, intellectual property rights and documenting folk
knowledge. I will be happy to share some info on these issues as well. I
still work with him but currently under house arrest after a jeep
accident late last year from which I survived in full and also recovered
reasoanably well. But the doctors feel that rest and food at home will
make me ever mobile once again, and I looking forward to do that, by
early next year.

Currently, I am content burdening you with a few files attachements for
your information, criticism and suggestions, which will enrich my
endeavour no end. Enclosed are two rich text format files compatible
with MS Word and an MS Excel file. One text file by name `trintro' is
the introductory chapter I plan for the proposed book on  Indian, rather
peninsular, trees. Another text file by name `trimp' describes a few
important tree species as model accounts. The Excel file by name
`trlist2' enlists all the inteded species which will be described and
illustrated. Another column in the file by name `similar species'
mentions confusing species which may be mentioned in the passing, rarely
illustarted.

The audience comprises amature naturalists, including perhaps college
students if ever such books are declared as educational resource
material, our old dream that now appears distant with domination of
biotechnology, computers other fast buck professions. Pure biology
course are all but dying in most colleges I know and work with.

The illustrations will be probably sketched by myself between August and
October, based on some books available here. I can improve upon them
once I reach the rich herbarium at CES. The main attraction would be the
photographs and slides promised by my dear pal Vivek Gour Broome,
extensivelly travelled in Central India and northern Western
Ghats.Moreover, he has snapped not just tree barks, leaves or profiles
but also related important activities like collection of Mahua flowers,
which will probably make the book catchy and alive. Finalising
illustrations and text would be challenging but I hope to meet it with
your warm cooperation.

Prof. Gadgil intends to publish the book by January 2001 in the Indian
Science Congress.  University Press is interested in publishing the
whole lifescape series, starting with Krushanmegh's Kunte's book to be
released this October at the annual meeting of the Indian Academy of
Sciences. January 2001 appears a bit ambitious even for an overambitious
person like me. But I thought it best to give it a try.

If you are interested in obtaining further species descriptions or field
identification key etc., please let me know. It will be my pleasure. If
you are seriouslyinterested in reviewing many species or family accounts
or provide illustrations, let me know. You will be sent a formal
invitation and a token honourarium from the very modest budget of
project Lifescape.

Ut.

Ghate utkarsh
C-26/1, Ketan Heights, Kothrud, Pune, 411 029. Ph. 020-544 65 18.
Email  OR