Colin Philip Smith (24 November 1936 – 4 November 2023) was a British lepidopterist who lived and worked in Nepal. He was widely known as "Putali Bajey" (Nepali: पुतली बाजे ) or "Butterfly Grandad" in Nepal.[1][2] He spent more than 50 years in Nepal studying and writing about its butterfly fauna.[3] He is the author of several books on butterflies of Nepal.[4][5][6] He visited Nepal in 1966 as a teacher under a United Mission to Nepal program. Smith taught some of the most popular Nepali personalities such as Baburam Bhattarai and Upendra Devkota at the start of his career.[7][8]
Colin Philip Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 November 1936 London, England |
| Died | (aged 86) Pokhara, Nepal |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | Nepal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Lepidopterist Natural history |
| Institutions | Annapurna Natural History Museum |
In 2019, the Nepal government granted him honorary citizenship of Nepal for his achievements as well as international reputation.[4][5][8][9] He is the third person to receive the honour after Sir Edmund Hillary and Toni Hagen, and before Um Hong-gil.[9][10]
Smith died due to a gastrointestinal stromal tumor at Hariyokharka Hospital in Pokhara, on 4 November 2023. He was 87.[11]
References
edit- ^ "The delicate beauty of Nepal's butterflies". OnlineKhabar. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "'पुतली बाजे' अब सम्मानार्थ नेपाली". DeshSanchar. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Birds and Butterfly Research". Namaste Nepal. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Putali Baje obliged with Nepali citizenship". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ a b "पुतली बाजे and the metaphor of metamorphosis". NepaliTimes. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Butterflies in Nepal". Inside Himalayas. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "पुतली बाजे: 'पुतली खोज्दै आएँ, नेपाली नागरिक भएर मर्न मन छ'". BBCNews. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ a b "British national 'Putalibaje' receives citizenship of Nepal". South Asia Time. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ a b "British national Putalibaje to receive honorary citizenship". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Korean philanthropist Um Hong Gil gets honorary citizenship". South Asia Time. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ रहेनन् ‘पुतली बाजे’, ८७ वर्षमा अस्ताए (in Nepali)
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