K. K. Neelakantan - Works

Works

His magnum opus Keralathile Pakshikal (Birds of Kerala) first published in 1958 is considered to be a classic in Malayalam. Described with illustrations of 261 birds found in Kerala, it is considered a unique work among Indian languages. A collection of his essays on environment, bird watching and birds titled Pullu Thottu Poonara Vare won the award of the State Department of Science, Technology and environment for popular Science writing and also the I. C. Chacko Endowment prize by the Kerala Sahitya Academy. Pakshikalum Manushyarum, his other work on birds and bird watching for children, also has won two awards from the Kerala Government and Kairali Children's Book Trust instituted for Children's literature.

When the editor for Macmillan Publishers approached him for a book on any subject of his own choice in English, he offered instead to write a book on birds and bird watching for children in Malayalam. He started bird watching at a young age when he was living in his ancestral house at Kavassery. He practiced this hobby very seriously at all places wherever he had been working.

In 1949, Induchoodan got the rare good fortune of stumbling upon the largest pelicanry in India. He found it at Aredu some 13 miles from Tadepalligudam in the East Godavari District. This finding was published in 1949. Induchoodan was the president of Prakriti Samrakshna Samithi and led the Silent Valley Agitation during the year 1979. He was the founder and President of Kerala Natural History Society and Honorary member of WWF India. He pursued the study of birds until his death at the age of 69.

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