Kenneth Douglas Stewart Anderson (8 March 1910 – 30 August 1974) was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote books about his adventures in the jungles of South India.
Kenneth Anderson was born in Bolarum, Secunderabad and came from a Scottish family that settled in India for six generations. His father Douglas Stuart Anderson was superintendent of the F.C.M.A. in Poona, Bombay Presidency and dealt with the salaries paid to military personnel, having an honorary rank of captain. His mother Lucy Ann Taylor née Bailey was the grand-daughter of John Taylor who, for his services, had been gifted land in Bangalore by Sir Mark Cubbon. Douglas like most Scottish soldiers took an interest in sport hunting and influenced Kenneth's interest in the outdoors and hunting.[1][2]
Anderson went to Bishop Cotton Boys' School and also studied at St Joseph's College, Bangalore. He was sent to study law at Edinburgh, Scotland but he quit studies and returned to India. He worked for fifteen years in the posts and telegraph department and later worked at the British Aircraft Factory in Bangalore (later HAL) in the rank of Factory Manager for Planning. He owned nearly 200 acres of land across Karnataka, Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu. In 1972 he was diagnosed with cancer from which he died in 1974. He was buried at the Hosur road cemetery.[1]
Family
Anderson met Cheryl Majoire Blossom Minnette née Fleming who came from Sri lanka (her mother Millicient Toussaint was a Burgher while her father Clifford Fleming was from Australia) at Bowring Club in Bangalore. They married in April 1929 at Sorkalpet, Cuddalore, then had a daughter named June (born 19 June 1930) and a son named Donald (18 February 1934 - 12 July 2014) who also took an interest in hunting. The couple separated in later life; Kenneth Anderson moved to Whitefield, while Blossom stayed on at Prospect House, their home on Sydney Road (now Kasturba Road). Blossom died on 11 March 1987.[1]
Outdoors and writings
His love for the inhabitants of the Indian jungle led him to big game hunting and to writing real-life adventure stories. He often went into the jungle alone and unarmed to meditate and enjoy the beauty of untouched nature. As a hunter, he tracked down man-eating tigers and leopards. His kills include the Sloth bear of Mysore, the Leopard of Gummalapur, the Rogue Elephant of Panapatti, the Leopard of the Yellagiri Hills, the Tigress of Jowlagiri, the Tiger of Segur and the Tiger of Mundachipallam.
He is officially recorded as having shot 8 man-eating leopards (7 males and 1 female) and 7 tigers (5 males and 2 females) on the Government records from 1939 to 1966 though he is rumored to have unofficially shot over 18 man eating panthers and over 15–20-man eating tigers. He also shot a few rogue elephants.[citation needed]
Anderson's style of writing is descriptive, as he talks about his adventures with wild animals. While most stories are about hunting tigers and leopards – particularly man-eaters – he includes chapters on his first-hand encounters with elephants, bison, and bears. There are stories about the less 'popular' creatures like Indian wild dogs, hyenas, and snakes. He explains the habits and personalities of these animals.
Anderson gives insights into the people of the Indian jungles of his time, with woods full of wildlife and local inhabitants having to contend with poor quality roads, communication and health facilities. His books delve into the habits of the jungle tribes, their survival skills, and their day-to-day lives.
He also explored the occult, and wrote about his experiences for which he had no explanation. He always wore a talisman to protect him from danger, given to him by Sathya Sai Baba. He was often sought to shoot man-eaters in villages in southern India. He spoke Kannada, the language of his home town Bangalore, and Tamil, a language of the neighboring state of Tamilnadu. He had a Studebaker car and usually hunted with a .405 Winchester Model 1895 rifle. He was a pioneer of wildlife conservation in southern India, and spent his later years "shooting" with a camera.
Anderson expounds his love for India, its people, and its jungles. He believed in the power of alternative medicine and carried a box containing natural herbs from the jungle. He refused most treatments based on Western medicine and died of prostate cancer. (However, when he was mauled by a man-eating tiger, he took penicillin to counter the possible infection.) This incident is described in his book Man Eaters and Jungle Killers in the chapter entitled "The Maurauder of Kempekarai".[3] His last book, Jungles Long Ago, was published posthumously. He wrote a novel called the Fires of Passion which highlighted the situation of the Scottish people in South India.[4]
In his introduction to Tales from the Indian Jungle, Anderson writes: "He [Anderson] appears to be of the jungle himself, and we get the impression that he belongs there. This is the home for him and here is the place he would want to die; the jungle is his birthplace, his heaven and his resting place when the end comes."
Jungle folk
Anderson became well acquainted with many jungle folk from various aborigine tribes; Byra the Poojare from the Poojaree tribe, Ranga a petty shikari who also occasionally took to poaching, and Rachen from the Sholaga tribe. Some of his friends such as Hughie Hailstone also had estates in South India and he also tells us about Eric Newcombe, his friend from his young days who used to get into a lot of trouble.[citation needed]
The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle (1959)
The Call of the Man Eater (1961)
This is the Jungle (1964)
The Tiger Roars (1967)
Tales from the Indian Jungle (1970)
Jungles Long Ago (1976)
The Bond Of Love
Other publications
The Fires of Passion (1969)
Jungles Tales for Children (1971)
Tales of Man Singh: King of Indian Dacoits (1961)
Omnibus editions
Kenneth Anderson Omnibus Vol. 1
Tales from the Indian Jungle
Man Eaters and Jungle Killers
Kenneth Anderson Omnibus Vol.2
The Call of the Man Eater
The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle
Kenneth Anderson Omnibus Vol.3
The Tiger Roars
Jungles Long Ago
The Jungle Book
Translations
Anderson's books have been translated into many languages. Popular Kannada writer Poornachandra Tejaswi has translated some of his hunting experiences into Kannada which were published in 4 volumes as Kadina Kategalu (Volume 1 - 4)/ಕಾಡಿನ ಕತೆಗಳು (ಭಾಗ ೧ - ೪)
Biography of Donald Anderson, Kenneth's son 13 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine
Hunting Tales of Kenneth Anderson in Urdu-Part 01-شکاریات-منتخب کردہ دلچسپ کہانیاں-حصہ اول-راشد اشرف 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
August 23, 2023
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kenneth Anderson writer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia s notability guideline for biographies Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention If notability cannot be shown the article is likely to be merged redirected or deleted Find sources Kenneth Anderson writer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message For other people with the same name see Kenneth Anderson Kenneth Douglas Stewart Anderson 8 March 1910 30 August 1974 was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote books about his adventures in the jungles of South India Kenneth AndersonKenneth Anderson and his pariah dog Nipper whom he adopted during his hunt for the Leopard of GummalapurBorn8 March 1910 1910 03 08 Bolarum Hyderabad State British IndiaDied30 August 1974 1974 08 31 aged 64 Bangalore Karnataka IndiaNationalityIndianSubjectWildlife big game hunting Southern IndiaSpouseBlossom FlemingChildrenDonald Anderson 18 February 1934 12 July 2014 June Anderson born 19 June 1930 Contents 1 Biography 2 Family 3 Outdoors and writings 4 Jungle folk 5 Books 5 1 Hunting books 5 2 Other publications 5 3 Omnibus editions 5 4 Translations 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksBiography EditKenneth Anderson was born in Bolarum Secunderabad and came from a Scottish family that settled in India for six generations His father Douglas Stuart Anderson was superintendent of the F C M A in Poona Bombay Presidency and dealt with the salaries paid to military personnel having an honorary rank of captain His mother Lucy Ann Taylor nee Bailey was the grand daughter of John Taylor who for his services had been gifted land in Bangalore by Sir Mark Cubbon Douglas like most Scottish soldiers took an interest in sport hunting and influenced Kenneth s interest in the outdoors and hunting 1 2 Anderson went to Bishop Cotton Boys School and also studied at St Joseph s College Bangalore He was sent to study law at Edinburgh Scotland but he quit studies and returned to India He worked for fifteen years in the posts and telegraph department and later worked at the British Aircraft Factory in Bangalore later HAL in the rank of Factory Manager for Planning He owned nearly 200 acres of land across Karnataka Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu In 1972 he was diagnosed with cancer from which he died in 1974 He was buried at the Hosur road cemetery 1 Family EditAnderson met Cheryl Majoire Blossom Minnette nee Fleming who came from Sri lanka her mother Millicient Toussaint was a Burgher while her father Clifford Fleming was from Australia at Bowring Club in Bangalore They married in April 1929 at Sorkalpet Cuddalore then had a daughter named June born 19 June 1930 and a son named Donald 18 February 1934 12 July 2014 who also took an interest in hunting The couple separated in later life Kenneth Anderson moved to Whitefield while Blossom stayed on at Prospect House their home on Sydney Road now Kasturba Road Blossom died on 11 March 1987 1 Outdoors and writings EditHis love for the inhabitants of the Indian jungle led him to big game hunting and to writing real life adventure stories He often went into the jungle alone and unarmed to meditate and enjoy the beauty of untouched nature As a hunter he tracked down man eating tigers and leopards His kills include the Sloth bear of Mysore the Leopard of Gummalapur the Rogue Elephant of Panapatti the Leopard of the Yellagiri Hills the Tigress of Jowlagiri the Tiger of Segur and the Tiger of Mundachipallam He is officially recorded as having shot 8 man eating leopards 7 males and 1 female and 7 tigers 5 males and 2 females on the Government records from 1939 to 1966 though he is rumored to have unofficially shot over 18 man eating panthers and over 15 20 man eating tigers He also shot a few rogue elephants citation needed Anderson s style of writing is descriptive as he talks about his adventures with wild animals While most stories are about hunting tigers and leopards particularly man eaters he includes chapters on his first hand encounters with elephants bison and bears There are stories about the less popular creatures like Indian wild dogs hyenas and snakes He explains the habits and personalities of these animals Anderson gives insights into the people of the Indian jungles of his time with woods full of wildlife and local inhabitants having to contend with poor quality roads communication and health facilities His books delve into the habits of the jungle tribes their survival skills and their day to day lives He also explored the occult and wrote about his experiences for which he had no explanation He always wore a talisman to protect him from danger given to him by Sathya Sai Baba He was often sought to shoot man eaters in villages in southern India He spoke Kannada the language of his home town Bangalore and Tamil a language of the neighboring state of Tamilnadu He had a Studebaker car and usually hunted with a 405 Winchester Model 1895 rifle He was a pioneer of wildlife conservation in southern India and spent his later years shooting with a camera Anderson expounds his love for India its people and its jungles He believed in the power of alternative medicine and carried a box containing natural herbs from the jungle He refused most treatments based on Western medicine and died of prostate cancer However when he was mauled by a man eating tiger he took penicillin to counter the possible infection This incident is described in his book Man Eaters and Jungle Killers in the chapter entitled The Maurauder of Kempekarai 3 His last book Jungles Long Ago was published posthumously He wrote a novel called the Fires of Passion which highlighted the situation of the Scottish people in South India 4 In his introduction to Tales from the Indian Jungle Anderson writes He Anderson appears to be of the jungle himself and we get the impression that he belongs there This is the home for him and here is the place he would want to die the jungle is his birthplace his heaven and his resting place when the end comes Jungle folk EditAnderson became well acquainted with many jungle folk from various aborigine tribes Byra the Poojare from the Poojaree tribe Ranga a petty shikari who also occasionally took to poaching and Rachen from the Sholaga tribe Some of his friends such as Hughie Hailstone also had estates in South India and he also tells us about Eric Newcombe his friend from his young days who used to get into a lot of trouble citation needed Books EditHunting books Edit Nine Maneaters And One Rogue 1954 Man Eaters and Jungle Killers 1957 The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle 1959 The Call of the Man Eater 1961 This is the Jungle 1964 The Tiger Roars 1967 Tales from the Indian Jungle 1970 Jungles Long Ago 1976 The Bond Of LoveOther publications Edit The Fires of Passion 1969 Jungles Tales for Children 1971 Tales of Man Singh King of Indian Dacoits 1961 Omnibus editions Edit Kenneth Anderson Omnibus Vol 1 Tales from the Indian Jungle Man Eaters and Jungle KillersKenneth Anderson Omnibus Vol 2 The Call of the Man Eater The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian JungleKenneth Anderson Omnibus Vol 3 The Tiger Roars Jungles Long Ago The Jungle BookTranslations Edit Anderson s books have been translated into many languages Popular Kannada writer Poornachandra Tejaswi has translated some of his hunting experiences into Kannada which were published in 4 volumes as Kadina Kategalu Volume 1 4 ಕ ಡ ನ ಕತ ಗಳ ಭ ಗ ೧ ೪ See also EditFrederick Walter Champion wildlife photographer and conservationist of Shivalik Hills Jim Corbett wildlife conservationist of Shivalik Hills Hunter naturalists of India List of famous big game hunters Project TigerReferences Edit a b c Anderson Donald Mathew Joshua 2018 The Last White Hunter Reminiscences of a Colonial Shikari Indus Source Books pp 205 236 Shaji K A 17 July 2019 How the legacy of a colonial hunter has inspired conservation efforts in the forests of south India Mongabay Anderson Kenneth Man Eaters and Jungle Killers Swapna Printing Works Hunters Tales Frontline OnnetExternal links EditBiography of Donald Anderson Kenneth s son Archived 13 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine Hunting Tales of Kenneth Anderson in Urdu Part 01 شکاریات منتخب کردہ دلچسپ کہانیاں حصہ اول راشد اشرف Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kenneth Anderson writer amp oldid 1153018636, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
