Jairam Ramesh recalls Indira Gandhi’s role in saving the Great Indian Bustard

A single newspaper photograph of a struggling Great Indian Bustard, spotted by Indira Gandhi during a flight to Udaipur in 1976, became the unlikely catalyst for India’s conservation efforts. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted this historical connection while expressing ongoing anxiety over the bird's status as a critically endangered species.

Editorial·June 21, 2026·reads: 2,234

Jairam Ramesh recalls Indira Gandhi’s role in saving the Great Indian Bustard

The encounter occurred fifty years ago during Gandhi’s trip to mark the 400th anniversary of the Battle of Haldighati. After reading a Hindustan Times report on the bird's near-extinction, she met with Rajasthan Wild Life Board member Harsh Vardhan upon landing. This meeting directly spurred the creation of the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer and Barmer, effectively launching a formal protection program. Ramesh noted that the Great Indian Bustard, which ornithologist Salim Ali had originally proposed as the national bird in 1961, eventually lost that title to the peacock for deep-rooted cultural and historical reasons.

Despite decades of policy intervention, the species remains fragile. Recent efforts have offered a glimmer of hope, however. According to Deputy Conservator of Forests Brijmohan Gupta, three new chicks were born this past April at specialized breeding centers in Jaisalmer. These additions have brought the total population within these managed facilities to 82, underscoring both the success of localized breeding programs and the persistent vulnerability of the bird in the wild.