The nineteenth century in India is often remembered for the tightening grip of British imperial rule. Yet, beneath the political upheaval, a wave of intellectual vigour swept across the subcontinent. Among the many Indians who left an indelible mark on global knowledge was Ram Brahma Sanyal (1851-1908). Despite lacking formal degrees in the natural sciences, Sanyal emerged as a world-renowned pioneer in zoology, transforming the Alipore Zoological Gardens into a global benchmark for animal care.
Born on 15 February 1851, Ram Brahma Sanyal originally aspired to be a physician. He enrolled in the Medical College, Calcutta, but was forced to abandon his studies due to failing eyesight. However, his talent did not go unnoticed. George King, a professor of Botany and Superintendent of the Botanical Garden, recognized Sanyal’s potential and offered him a position at the newly established Zoological Gardens, Alipore. The Alipore Zoo, spearheaded by figures like George King, Louis Schwendler and John Anderson, officially opened to the public in May 1876.
Sanyal joined in January 1876 as a casual worker, assisting King in landscape gardening. His dedication yielded immediate outcome; by September, he was appointed “Head Baboo” with a modest salary of Rs 40. Within a year, his touch transformed the grounds into a lush, green sanctuary. As the zoo’s animal population swelled – reaching over 800 specimens by 1878 – Sanyal’s responsibilities expanded. He became a self-taught polymath, performing duties that would today require a team of specialists. In veterinary care he treated sick animals with his passionate love for animals; even fed them with his own hands. He performed post-mortems on dead animals, utilizing his medical school background to understand the cause of death.
Ram Brahma ensured every species was correctly identified by its scientific name, maintaining rigorous records of purchases and exchanges of animals. He meticulously collected data and recorded the health, diet, and behaviour of every animal, alongside his administrative duties. His efficiency was so profound that in April 1880, Ram Brahma was appointed the first Superintendent of the Gardens. Remarkably, the British Managing Committee had searched globally for a European scientist to fill the role – even offering a higher salary and free accommodation – but could find no one whose expertise matched Sanyal’s. Sanyal was appointed at a lower salary than that offered to a European, exposing the exploitative attitude of the British management.
But Ram Brahma was undaunted and continued to perform his jobs relentlessly and silently. In 1892, Sanyal published his magnum opus: ‘A Handbook of the Management of Animals in Captivity in Lower Bengal’. This was the first systematic manual on zoo management ever written. Based on 13 years of observation, the 350-page book detailed the habits and health of 241 mammals and 402 birds. The international scientific community was awestruck. The prestigious journal Nature praised the work, noting that “its author deserves great credit.” This success led to his international recognition.
For the first time, zoological scholars abroad learned that an Indian had so skilfully presented his works and ideas to the world. Ram Brahma spent a good amount of time in global consultancy. He received an invitation to the International Congress of Zoology at Cambridge in 1898. Sanyal toured major zoos in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Dresden, Vivaria and Naples; later providing expert advice to establish or improve zoos in Bombay, Rangoon, and Karachi. Sanyal earned several recognitions. He was made a “Corresponding Member” of the London Zoological Society and conferred the title of “Rai Bahadur” by the British government in 1899.
The Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1897 embraced him as an Associate Member where Sanyal contributed regularly by his deliberations on science matters. Published in 1896, his second book, ‘Hours with Nature’, aimed to make the subject of nature accessible to a broader audience in easy language and foster a deeper appreciation for the environment. Ram Brahma had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and he unceasingly acquired it. The scientist in him did not let him rest. His continuous hard work, perseverance, inquisitiveness and unremitting experiments made him a great scientist.
Sanyal was a researcher at heart. He conducted various cross-breeding experiments and studied snake venom antidotes, ‘moulting’ of the great Bird of Paradise; and published his several findings in international journals. His scientific methods led to the rare birth of a live Sumatran Rhinoceros in 1889, an event that was not seen in captivity until 2001. Sanyal’s achievement was a historic one as he had none of the resources, technology or data that were available to scientists in 2001. He organised several o ther cross bre e ding programmes in Alipore Zoo successfully.
Ram Brahma was a visionary. In 1908, he advocated for a public aquarium in Calcutta, arguing its importance for studying fisheries and “artificial fecundation” – an idea decades ahead of its time. Despite his brilliance, Sanyal faced the quiet indignities of colonial life. He was often penalized for trivial errors that his European counterparts might have ignored, and for twenty years, the management failed to provide him with the decent housing they had promised. In a 1908 appeal, he noted with some grief that “Although the necessity and importance of providing a suitable building for the Superintendent’s residence was recognised some twenty years ago, I have never had a descent house to live in, and the consequence has been that I have all along suffered the discomforts brought on my unhealthy and unsuitable housing.
As I am now getting on in years its effects are beginning to tell upon my health …” The ‘unhealthy and unsuitable housing’ was finally taking a toll on his health. Ram Brahma Sanyal passed away on 13 October 1908, just months before his scheduled retirement. He was treated in his final days by the legendary Dr. Nilratan Sarkar. He left behind a grieving family, 62 employees and a living legacy of 1,384 animals. Sanyal’s work transformed the Alipore Zoo from a simple collection of animals into a respected scientific institution. His methodology was so advance d that the British administration struggled to find a replacement upon his retirement, noting that his specific blend of skills was nearly impossible to replicate. The Managing Committee, once hesitant to appoint a “native” Superintendent, admitted in 1907 that ‘We do not think that it would ever be possible to obtain a successor of the type of Rai R B Sanyal Bahadur.
Experience such as his can only be acquired by the work of a lifetime.” Sanyal believed a zoo should not just be an exhibition, but a place to demonstrate naturalistic behaviour of the animals. His perseverance and inquisitive spirit proved that scientific greatness is born not just from titles, but from unremitting observation and a deep love for the natural world. The Alipore Zoo under the able leadership of Ram Brahma Sanyal became a centre of attraction and many reputed persons visited the zoo. The exiled Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah was a regular guest and had developed a warm acquaintance with Sanyal. He donated several animals and birds from his personal collection.
Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita too visited the zoo in 1898 and accepted the hospitality of Sanyal. Viceroys, governors and rulers of princely states were also on the list of visitors. Sanyal developed key professional skills of his own. For more than 13 years he recorded daily scientific observations of animal health, diet, behaviour, sickness. He exchanged knowledge regularly with institutions and personalities of repute worldwide. He earned expertise in landscape gardening , mimicking natural environments and designed enclosures for providing safe and comfortable habitations for the animals and birds in captivity. He was a suave, simple man; yet a disciplined hard worker fully focused on his jobs. He never remained idle, never took rest. What Ram Brahma did in repressed British India is definitely more important than his image that may be delineated today after 175 years of his birth.
(The writer is a Cost Accountant and former General Manager of a state power utility.)