Who is a Lepidopterist: A person who studies or collects butterflies and moths. Lepidopterology, a branch of entomology is the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies.
Meet a lepidopterist: Isaac Kehimkar, is the Director of iNatureWatch in Navi Mumbai. He graduated from Mumbai University with a degree in Political Science and Psychology. He landed a marketing job, which he quit opting instead for a job with nature!
He joined the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) as a library assistant in 1978 and spent time learning from people like Dr. Salim Ali and Vyankatesh Madgulkar who often visited the BNHS library. He also honed his writing skills by publishing several natural history photos and articles in Sanctuary magazine.
Today, as the General Manager of Programmes at BHNS and Joint Editor of BHNS’s quarterly magazine Hornbill, he continues to share this information by writing about the small wonders of nature – butterflies, reptiles, flowers, and plants.
Isaac’s work: On weekends, Issac steps out of his usual routine to photograph and watch butterflies, search for caterpillars, check the plants caterpillars eat and make notes on any unusual sightings of butterflies and their behaviour.
Wildlife restoration and conservation: Isaac’s articles, books and nature trails are all about making people fall in love with nature. He believes that once they feel connected to nature they will protect it. He conducts awareness programmes and encourages corporates to sponsor plantation habitats and restoration programmes for butterflies.
Up to date: Isaac is in touch with people working on butterflies. Social media helps several groups exchange and share a lot of information. “I could write my latest book on Indian butterflies with help of people from the butterfly groups from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka , Bhutan, Thailand and Hongkong,” he says.
Writing: He has three books to his credit, Common Indian Wild Flowers, Butterflies of India and Book of Indian Butterflies.