The butterfly diaries

Natasha Rego meets India’s ‘Butterfly Man’ Isaac Kehimkar

- Natasha Rego

Himalayan expeditions are meant to test the limits of patience and human endurance. But Isaac Kehimkar is not in it to conquer new peaks. For this naturalist, the prize at the end of every rocky road is a bunch of dazzling winged jewels. “In 2005, when I finally spotted seven Dragontail butterflies with their spectacularly translucent wings atop a hill in Arunachal Pradesh, I trembled so much with excitement that I couldn’t hold my camera still,” reminisces the Navi Mumbai-based naturalist, who has been documenting India’s butterflies for the past 30 years.

Kehimkar, who will retire as deputy director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) later this year, says it takes some patience and a whole lot of crazy to chase butterflies for a living. His recent book, Butterflies of India (` 1,800; BNHS), is a testament to his passion for these colourful creatures. A field guide, the book contains photographs and information on over 1,000 species and sub-species of butterflies from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and a few from Afghanistan. He has trekked up the mighty Himalaya and through the damp forests of the Western Ghats in pursuit of the 1,500 species of butterflies that inhabit the subcontinent. “I have encountered at least 900, so there’s quite a long way to go,” he says with an easy smile.

In times when dreams are often synonymous with acquiring material possessions, Kehimkar is a refreshing inspiration—his pursuits always lead him to Eden. But chasing butterflies comes with many challenges, not least of which are shaking offblood-sucking leeches and microscopic ticks, whose nasty bite takes months to heal.