The soft launching of a new book titled "Bideshi Birders" was held in Dhaka recently highlighting the stories of birding in Bangladesh.

The book is seen as a delightful volume to memorialize the original "Bideshi Birders" of Bangladesh, foreign friends of the country, who made their home here for extensive periods from the mid-1970s onwards.

Bangladesh's foremost experts on the subject, Enam Ul Haque and Paul Thompson co-edited the book published by Cosmos Books.

"The reason I say it is very special, as you shall see, is that it presents a side of life in Bangladesh for a group of foreigners (the Bideshi in the title) that has rarely received the attention it deserves," said the founder of WildTeam Enayetullah Khan at the launching ceremony.

They hailed from as far apart as Wales and Australia, and quite several places in between, and their lifelong passion brought them together for birdwatching.

Over four decades starting in the mid-to-late seventies, they made an enormous contribution to the field of ornithology in Bangladesh - as testified by the country's foremost expert on the subject, Enam Ul Haque, who knew them all, and is the book's co-editor, Khan, also Editor-in-Chief of UNB and Dhaka Courier, said.

"This is their story, mostly in their own words, and I hope you will derive as much joy from reading it as we did in the process of bringing it out," he said.

At the soft launching ceremony, French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy said this book is an outstanding contribution to such a noble goal.

"I always looked at and listened to birds wherever I was posted. They are the soul of our world. Bangladesh's fascinating birds' diversity must be preserved and cherished," she added.

Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer said "Bideshi Birders" is a wonderful collection of the memories of foreign birdwatchers in Bangladesh, highlighting the country's avian marvels.

"That two Australians, John and Sue O' Malley, are featured is testimony to the depth and diversity of people-to-people connections between Australia and Bangladesh. It was a pleasure to read this book," he said.

Enayetullah Khan said the accounts, tastefully curated and including contributions from most of the leading actors, throb with nostalgia and the thrill of discovery, as ever so often Lady Luck bestows them with a prize so coveted. "It's a glorious read."

The biographical notes at the end of all the members of this band of adventures and nature lovers make for very interesting reading, for those who may not have known them personally.

Twelve names have been included, including O'Malleys, and they represent a group with unique diverse backgrounds, in terms of their other engagements or what brought them to Bangladesh.

Since Paul Thompson, Haque's co-editor who contributed multiple chapters as well as a moving requiem for his great friend David Johnson, moved to Wales in 2019, followed by Johnson's passing away in 2020, none of the "Bideshi Birders" are residents anymore in Bangladesh.

"Let's hope this book can some way towards preserving the memory of their lives here, as well as their tremendous contribution to the field of ornithology in Bangladesh, particularly in the 20th century," said Enayetullah Khan.

He recalled that former US President Jimmy Carter visited the National Botanical Garden in Mirpur, Dhaka in 2001 for a morning's birding.

Dr Md. Anwarul Islam, Chief Executive of WildTeam said "Bideshi Birders" is an excellent book, where the bideshis (foreigners) looked at the country's rich avian diversity from wetlands to forests and cities.

He said they realised how heavenly Bangladesh could be a place for those who care for birds and other wildlife. Their enthusiasm encouraged many young Bangladeshis to become serious birders today.

Dr Anwarul said he was glad that Bill Harvey sent his review comments for the book, which reads: "Bideshi Birders' is an original and most impressive production which would attract deshi birders anywhere in the subcontinent and might well interest others to take up birding.

"I was a Bideshi Birder myself and knew several of the contributors to this book and birded with them. The great birdman Salim Ali urged me to produce a checklist of the birds recorded within the borders of Bangladesh which I did and was published by the UPL titled 'Birds in Bangladesh".

Bill Harvey was the director of the British Council in Dhaka from 1986-1989. He dedicated his book titled 'Birds in Bangladesh', published in 1990, to Salim Ali, where he writes: "This book is respectfully dedicated to the late Dr Salim Ali, a great ornithologist and a dear friend."

"I am thankful to three gentlemen - Enam Ul Haque, Paul Thompson and Enayetullah Khan - for bringing up this book in November, which coincides with the birth month (12 November1896) of Dr Salim Ali. He was my guru, my teacher and my mentor. I miss him every day," said Dr Anwarul.

The book is dedicated to the memory of two great Bideshi birders David Johnson and David Millin. Cosmos Foundation and WildTeam supported the book project.

Renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, academics, politicians, current and former diplomats, business leaders, city elite, and former civil and defence officials attended the soft launching ceremony.