Kenneth Anderson (writer)

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Kenneth Douglas Stewart Anderson (8 March 1910 – 30 August 1974), known primarily as Kenneth Anderson or as KDS Anderson, was a Scottish-Indian writer, nature enthusiast, conservationist, and ethical hunter who lived and worked in South India. He authored highly-regarded books based on his experiences hiking, camping, and hunting in the Indian jungles.

Anderson initially gained fame around Bangalore as an outstanding hunter of high ethics. Later, his brave and skillful hunting of menacing man-eater leopards and tigers throughout South India earned him the nickname Corbett of the South,<ref name="DC DR">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VJT">Template:Cite magazine</ref> in reference to his older North Indian counterpart Jim Corbett. In mid-20th century, alarmed and disheartened by the destruction of wildlife, he pleaded for the preservation of flora and fauna of the forests in all regions of India.<ref name="KDSA"/> As an ex-hunter expert on wild animals' behaviour, he was a trailblazer in wildlife tourism in Bangalore, and is admired as a pioneer conservationist in southern India.<ref name="TNIE SR">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="TSI">Template:Cite web</ref>

Biography

Early life

Kenneth Anderson was born on 8 March 1910 in the Bolarum area of Secunderabad, in the princely state of Hyderabad in British India. He belonged to a Scottish family that had lived in India for many generations, and were originally from Glasgow. He was baptised at the Holy Trinity Church, Bolarum, and was the only child of his parents. He was often called "Jock" by his family and friends.<ref name="Grave"/><ref name="JM Ch8"/> His father, Douglas Stuart Anderson, was the eldest of four children, and was born in Calcutta but brought up in Bolarum. His mother, Lucy Ann Taylor (née Bailey), grew up with her two aunts in Bangalore after her mother died due to cholera, and later, her father left Madras for Belfast as his Irish regiment of British Army left India.

Douglas was an officer in the British Indian Army in the military accounts section. The family moved to Bangalore during World War I. They started living in the house of Lucy's maternal grandfather John Taylor, who, for his services to the Mysore Commission, had been gifted land in Bangalore adjacent to the Cubbon Park by Sir Mark Cubbon, the British Commissioner. Lucy became the head of the choir of St Mark's Cathedral, where they had gotten married in 1908. Douglas used to go waterfowl hunting with his friends in the lakes and tanks around Bangalore, and influenced Kenneth regarding the outdoors.<ref name="JM Ch2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Anderson went to Bishop Cotton Boys' School, and then to St Joseph's European High School, successfully passing the Senior Cambridge examinations in 1926. He was sent to study law at Edinburgh under guardianship of his uncle Forbes, but abandoned his studies and returned to India in 1928. He was well-versed in Kannada, the language of his hometown, and Tamil, the language of the neighbouring province. He had also picked up a little bit of Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu during his early years in Hyderabad State. He was known to be an intelligent man, and throughout his life he remained an academically inclined avid reader, not limited by subjects or topics.<ref name="JM Ch2"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Career

He worked for fifteen years in the Posts & Telegraphs Department.Template:NoteTag Then in 1956 he joined the colloquial British Aircraft Factory (later HAL)Template:NoteTag in Bangalore as the Factory Manager for Planning, and retired only in 1972 due to illness. In 1950s, his books made him an internationally renowned author, and he received considerable royalties thereafter. Though, he did not find much success as a writer of fiction, despite his efforts. In 1960s, he started taking national or international clients to jungle safaris for wildlife observation, thereby becoming a frontrunner in wildlife tourism in the region. He purchased nearly 200 acres of land across Mysore State, Hyderabad State, and Madras Presidency, at more than twenty locations (near forests) including Pondicherry and Ooty.Template:NoteTag<ref name="JM Ch2" /><ref name="KAS CNBC">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="KAS MI">Template:Cite news</ref> Anderson's correspondence with Rayner Unwin from 1961 hints at a possible joint venture with David Attenborough of BBC, but no work ultimately materialised.<ref>Template:Cite document</ref>

Death

In 1972 Anderson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was treated in St Martha's Hospital in Bangalore, and then in CMC Vellore for Cobalt therapy. However, he could not recover. Later, he was re-admitted to St Martha's where he died on 30 August 1974. He was buried at the Indian Christian CemeteryTemplate:NoteTag on Hosur Road in Bangalore.<ref name="JM Ch8">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Grave">Template:Cite news</ref>

Family

Marriage

Anderson met Blossom Hyacinth Minnette Fleming at the Bowring Club on St Mark's Road in Bangalore. Her mother, Millicent Toussaint, was a Burgher from Ceylon while her father, Clifford Fleming, was a doctor originally from New South Wales, Australia, who worked first in the military and then at Cellular Jail in Andaman Islands. She was born on 20 March 1910 in Port Blair, and her family moved to India when she was ten years old. They married in April 1929 at Sorkalpet in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, and honeymooned in Pondicherry. They lived in the sprawling 19th-century bungalow which Anderson got from his mother, named Prospect HouseTemplate:NoteTag, a landmark of the city on the 12-acre property on Sydney Road (now Kasturba Road) in Bangalore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Donald Anderson.jpg
Kenneth's son Donald

The couple separated in later life. In 1962, Kenneth Anderson moved to his other property named Bijou Cottage in Whitefield, while Blossom stayed on at Prospect House. Blossom Minnette Hyacinth Anderson died of pulmonary edema at St Philomena's Hospital on 11 March 1987, and was buried next to her husband.

Children

They had two children - a daughter named Margaret June Blossom Lucy Anderson (born 19 June 1930), and a son named Donald Malcolm Stuart Anderson (18 February 1934 – 12 July 2014). June Anderson attended Bishop Cotton Girls' School, and cleared the Senior Cambridge exam in 1947. She married Jack Vivian Jones (born 16 November 1927), a British Indian Army officer, and the couple initially lived in Wellington, Fatehgarh, and Ambala. Jack resigned from military, and they moved to England in 1951, and then ultimately to Perth, Australia in 1964. She has three children - sons Don and Chris born in India, and daughter Jackie born in Basildon.

Donald Anderson studied in Bishop Cotton Boys' School where he took classes of Oswald C. Edwards (18 October 1907 – 26 October 1988), the pioneer nature photographer of India. He worked for more than two decades at the Bangalore Cotton, Silk and Woolen Mills. He became a prolific hunter and angler. Later, he left hunting, and assisted the efforts of Wildlife Association of South India in saving the Cauvery Mahseer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He decided to stay in India post-independence, never married, and died at the age of 80 in Bangalore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Outdoorsmanship

Anderson, since his childhood, was fascinated by animals of all kinds whether mammals, birds, reptiles, or insects. He acquainted himself with them, and keenly studied their behaviour. He started frequently visiting the jungles near Bangalore for hiking or overnight camping. The sport of hunting attracted him with which he was already acquainted due to his father. Post marriage, he even took his family along on many of his trips. At his home, Prospect House, he had a multitude of animals like hyena, cobras, sloth bear, geese, etc.Template:NoteTag<ref name="DC DR"/>

Hunting

Anderson took to big-game hunting with his second-hand Winchester Model 1895 rifle chambered for .405 WCF cartridge. He became a hunter extraordinaire with exceptional monitorig and tracking skills, and became famous for his jungle knowledge. His behaviour on hunting trips was highly principled and strictly adhered to the widely accepted code of hunting ethics.Template:NoteTag This led to him being recognised as an epitome of a Gentleman ShikariTemplate:NoteTag<ref name="VJT"/> ("shikari" means "hunter" in Hindustani language). Anderson used to refer to these excursions as his Hunting Escapades. For his preservation-worthy trophy kills, he used the services of Tocher and Tocher Taxidermists.

File:Tigress-Jowlagiri.jpg
Kenneth Anderson with the Tigress of Jowlagiri.

His competence and bravery in dealing with carnivora ultimately allowed him to pursue a particular high-risk activity in public interest, that of eliminating man-eaters and rogues which were terrorising common populace. He excelled in these undertakings, and was sought after and often desperately invited by government officials for such tasks. Anderson neutralised some of the most notorious man-eaters in recorded history, like the Leopard of Gummalapur, Sloth-bear of Mysore, Tigress of Jowlagiri, etc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Anderson is formally credited with having shot 8 man-eating leopards (7 males and 1 female), and 7 tigers (5 males and 2 females) from 1939 to 1966, as per government records.<ref name="HT RP">Template:Cite news</ref> Though, he is known to have unofficially shot many more as he was in many instances personally invited by local people or alerted by his own network of informants, often without government's involvement or knowledge. This also means that he was able to nip several man-eaters in the bud just after the first few tiger attacks (or leopard attacks) before they could kill a substantial number of human beings. In those days the man-eater attacks were not covered in newspapers or media, and Anderson's network and skills empowered him to kill them before they could garner wider notoriety.

Conservation

Template:Blockquote Anderson stopped hunting, either for sport or trophy, in the second half of his middle age as he became increasingly concerned about the destruction of wildlife and forests in India. He made an exception only for killing man-eaters, and even there he was very judicious and never acted on rumours alone. He slowly turned to wildlife conservation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Anderson publicly highlighted not only the urgent need to do so, but also the flaws and corruption in the Indian system that exacerbated the harm to wildlife.<ref name="KDSA">Template:Cite book</ref> Additionally, he exhorted the sportsmen to give-up hunting and pursue hobbies like wildlife photography. As an avowed nature enthusiast, he continued his lifelong habit of frequently visiting the forests either as a wilderness wanderer or for seeking solitude. He also got his only son, Donald, to promise him to stop hunting altogether, which he did.<ref name="JM Ch8"/>

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He started a personal business of organising jungle safaris for interested parties in forests of India. He would personally steward such trips, and even promoted them for international clients in reputed magazines like the Audubon.<ref name="STB">Template:Cite news</ref> This venture was quite successful, and made Anderson one of the earliest entrepreneurs in wildlife tourism in India.

Jungle folk

Anderson became well acquainted with many jungle folk from various areas and aboriginal tribes. He was most fond of Byra The Poojare from the Poojaree tribe. Others include Ranga who was a petty shikari who also occasionally took to poaching, and Rachen from the Sholaga tribe. Some of his friends such as Hughie Hailstone also had estates in South India, and others became hunting fellows like Eric Newcombe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Writing

Anderson was a proficient raconteur who penned international bestsellers in the mid-20th century. He is well admired among readers of hunting literature, and his books are considered some of the best in the category.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As an author, his style of narration is descriptive as he details his encounters and experiences in the wilderness. His written works reflect his acute powers of observation and his unique sense of humour. Anderson's books were originally published in the 1950s in London by George Allen & Unwin Ltd.,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and hardcover editions were produced by Rand McNally.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His only fiction novel was published by Jaico Publishing House in India in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 21st century, his forest related books are being published internationally by Rupa Publications of India.

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Anderson's books highlight his concern for the natural environment and his conservationist streak as a wildlife chronicler.<ref name="KAS MI"/><ref name="KAS CNBC"/> Many books have accounts of his efforts of hunting man-eating big-cats, mostly successfully.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also includes details about elephants, bisons, deers, and bears, as well as less popular creatures like Indian Dholes (wild dogs), hyenas, spiders, and snakes. Anderson provides details of the lives of people in or near the Indian jungles of his time, and about poor or non-existent infrastructure. He also delves into the lives of native jungle tribes, mentioning their habits, survival skills, etc.

Legacy

Anderson is considered as one of the foremost nature writers of India, and among the first conservationists in the region.<ref name="KAS CNBC"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, observers note that he never got the national fame and official recognition that he deserved.<ref name="HT RP"/><ref name="KAS MI"/> Anderson killed more man-eaters than the more famous Jim Corbett<ref name="TSI"/> while also operating over a larger area with varied forests and working amongst a more diverse set of people. This was because Corbett received appreciation during the British Raj while later governments neglected Anderson's contributions and often took his services for granted. Also, being 35 years younger than Corbett, Anderson's writings were published after the hunting literature had already peaked.<ref name="STB"/>

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Anderson inspired conservationists like K. Ullas Karanth<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> who became Director of WCS Tiger Conservation Program, and many others. His personal land was later (after sale) incorporated by government in the Bannerghatta National Park, where now stands the Butterfly Park of Bannerghatta Zoo. In 2008, a Kenneth Anderson Nature Society was founded by like-minded admirers.<ref name="TNIE SR"/> Private entities have named outdoor places and activities after him like the Kenneth's Bunker, and Kenneth Anderson Bike Trails.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bibliography

Hunting books

Many of these books are also available in the three volume Omnibus edition by Rupa Publications (Template:ISBN).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other publications

  • The Fires of Passion (1969)
  • Jungles Tales for Children (1971)
  • Tales of Man Singh: King of Indian Dacoits (1961)
  • The Bond Of Love (short story)

Translations

Anderson's books have been translated into many languages. Popular Kannada language writer Poornachandra Tejaswi has translated some of his hunting stories and published via Pustaka Prakashana in four volumes as Kadina Kategalu (ಕಾಡಿನ ಕತೆಗಳು).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sahyadri Books has published Anderson in Marathi language titled Narbhakshakachya Magavar (नरभक्षकाच्या मागावर), translated by Sanjay Bapat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notes

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See also

References

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