Kenneth Anderson (writer)

Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Anderson and his pariah dog Nipper, adopted on one of his hunts
Born	8 March 1910 (1910-03-08) Bolarum, Hyderabad State, British India
Died	30 August 1974 (1974-08-31) (aged 64) Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Occupation	Manager, Author
Subject	Wildlife, Man-eater hunting, Big-game hunting
Spouse	Blossom Minnette Fleming
Children	Donald Malcolm Stuart Anderson (18 February 1934 - 12 July 2014) Margaret June Blossom Lucy Anderson (born 19 June 1930)

Kenneth Douglas Stewart Anderson (8 March 1910 – 30 August 1974), known primarily as Kenneth Anderson or as KDS Anderson, was a Scottish-Indian writer, nature enthusiast, conservationist, and ethical hunter who lived and worked in South India. He authored highly-regarded books based on his experiences hiking, camping, and hunting in the Indian jungles.

Anderson's brave and skillful hunting of menacing man-eater leopards and tigers earned him the nickname Corbett of the South,^[1][2] in reference to his older North Indian counterpart Jim Corbett. As a hunter-turned-conservationist, he was a trailblazer in wildlife tourism in Bangalore, and is admired as a pioneer conservationist in southern India.^[3][4]

Kenneth Anderson was born on 8 March 1910 in the Bolarum area of Secunderabad, in the princely state of Hyderabad in British India. He belonged to a Scottish family that had lived in India for many generations, and were originally from Glasgow. He was baptised at the Holy Trinity Church, Bolarum, and was the only child of his parents. He was often called "Jock" by his family and friends.^[5] His father, Douglas Stuart Anderson, was the eldest of four children, and was born in Calcutta but brought up in Bolarum. His mother, Lucy Ann Taylor (née Bailey), was a half-orphan who grew up in the guardianship of her two aunts, Mrs Bower and Mrs Bates.

Douglas was an officer in the British Indian Army in the military accounts section. The family moved to Bangalore during World War I. Lucy became the head of the choir of St Mark's Cathedral. She was the granddaughter of John Taylor, who, for his services to the Mysore Commission, had been gifted land in Bangalore adjacent to the Cubbon Park by Sir Mark Cubbon, the British Commissioner. Douglas, like most Scottish soldiers, took an interest in sport hunting, and influenced Kenneth's interest in the outdoors, wildlife, and hunting activities.^[6][7]

Anderson went to Bishop Cotton Boys' School, and then to St Joseph's European High School, successfully passing the Senior Cambridge examinations in 1926. He was sent to study law at Edinburgh but he abandoned hit studies and returned to India in 1928. He was well-versed in Kannada, the language of his hometown, and Tamil, the language of the neighbouring province. He had also picked up a little bit of Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu during his early years in Hyderabad State. Throughout his life he remained an avid reader, not limited by subjects or topics.^[6][8]

He worked for fifteen years in the Posts & Telegraphs Department. Then in 1956 he joined the colloquial British Aircraft Factory (later HAL)^{[note 1]} in Bangalore as the Factory Manager for Planning, and retired only in 1972 due to illness. In 1950s, his books made him an internationally renowned author, and he received considerable royalties thereafter. In 1960s, he started taking national or international clients to jungle safaris for wildlife observation, thereby becoming a frontrunner in wildlife tourism in the region. He purchased nearly 200 acres of land across Mysore State, Hyderabad State, and Madras Presidency, at more than twenty locations including Pondicherry and Ooty.^[6][9][10]

In 1972 Anderson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was treated in St Martha's Hospital in Bangalore, and then in CMC Vellore for Cobalt therapy. However, he could not recover, and died on 30 August 1974. He was buried at the Indian Christian Cemetery^{[note 2]} on Hosur Road in Bangalore.^[5][11]

Anderson met Blossom Hyacinth Minnette Fleming at the Bowring Club on St Mark's Road in Bangalore. Her mother, Millicent Toussaint, was a Burgher from Ceylon while her father, Clifford Fleming, was from New South Wales, Australia. She was born on 20 March 1910 in Port Blair, and her family moved to India when she was ten years old. They married in April 1929 at Sorkalpet in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, and honeymooned in Pondicherry. They lived in the sprawling bungalow named Prospect House^{[note 3]} on the 12-acre property on Sydney Road (now Kasturba Road) in Bangalore which Anderson got from his mother.

The couple separated in later life. In 1962, Kenneth Anderson moved to his other property named Bijou Cottage in Whitefield, while Blossom stayed on at Prospect House. Blossom Minnette Hyacinth Anderson died of pulmonary edema at St Philomena's Hospital on 11 March 1987, and was buried next to her husband.

They had two children - a daughter named Margaret June Blossom Lucy Anderson (born 19 June 1930), and a son named Donald Malcolm Stuart Anderson (18 February 1934 - 12 July 2014). June Anderson attended Bishop Cotton Girls' School, and cleared the Senior Cambridge exam in 1947. She married a British Indian Army officer named Jack Vivian Jones (born 16 November 1927), and the couple initially lived in Wellington in Nilgiris, and then Fatehgarh and Ambala. Her family moved to England in 1951, and then ultimately to Perth, Australia in 1964. She has three children - sons Don and Chris born in India, and daughter Jackie born in Basildon. Donald Anderson studied in Bishop Cotton Boys' School. He worked for more than two decades at the Bangalore Cotton, Silk and Woolen Mills. He never married, and became a prolific hunter and angler. He decided to stay in India post-independence, and died in Bangalore.^[6][12]

Anderson, since his childhood, was fascinated by animals of all kinds whether mammals, birds, reptiles, or insects. He acquainted himself with them, and keenly studied their behaviour. In adulthood, he started frequently visiting the jungles near Bangalore for hiking or overnight camping. Hunting came naturally to him, inspired by his father. He even took the family along post marriage. At his home, Prospect House, he had a multitude of animals like hyena, cobras, sloth bear, geese, etc.^[1]

Anderson took to big-game hunting with his second-hand .405 Winchester Model 1895 rifle. He became a hunter extraordinaire, and became famous for his jungle knowledge and skills. His behaviour in hunting trips was highly principled and followed the ethical code for hunters.^{[note 4]} For his preservation-worthy kills, he used the services of Tocher and Tocher Taxidermists.

He took particular interest in neutralising man-eaters which had become troublesome. He is credited with having shot 8 man-eating leopards (7 males and 1 female), and 7 tigers (5 males and 2 females) from 1939 to 1966, as per the Government records.^[13] Though, he is known to have unofficially shot many more as he was personally invited by local people or alerted by his informants, often without government's involvement or knowledge.

Anderson stopped hunting, either for sport or trophy, in the second half of his middle age as he became increasingly concerned about the destruction of wildlife and forests in India, making an exception only for man-eaters. He slowly turned to conservation.^[14] However, he continued his lifelong habit of frequently visiting the forests either as a wilderness wanderer or for seeking solitude. He also got his son, Donald, to promise him to stop hunting altogether, which he did.^[5]

He started a personal business of organising jungle safaris in forests of southern India for interested parties. He would personally steward such trips, and even promoted them for international clients in magazines like the Audubon.^[16] This venture was quite successful, and made Anderson one of the earliest entrepreneurs in wildlife tourism in India.

Anderson became well acquainted with many jungle folk from various aboriginal tribes. He was most fond of Byra The Poojare from the Poojaree tribe. Others include Ranga who was 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 took fellow hunters as friends like Eric Newcombe.^[17][18]

Anderson was a proficient raconteur and international bestseller-penning author in the mid-20th century, and is well admired among readers of hunting literature. His style of writing is descriptive and precise as he details his experiences in the wilderness. His books reflect his powers of observation and his sense of humour. His books were originally published in the UK by George Allen & Unwin.^[19][20]

Anderson's books highlight his conservationist streak as a wildlife chronicler. While most stories are about hunting man-eating big-cats he includes details about elephants, bisons, deers, and bears, as well as less popular creatures like Indian Dholes (wild dogs), hyenas, spiders, and snakes. Anderson provides insights into the lives of people in or near the Indian jungles of his time, with local inhabitants having to contend with poor roads, and non-existent health facilities. He also delves into the lives of native jungle tribes, mentioning their habits, survival skills, etc.

Anderson is considered as one of the foremost nature writers of India.^[22] However, observers note that he never got the national fame and official recognition that he deserved.^[13] Anderson killed more man-eaters than the more famous Jim Corbett^[4] while also operating over a larger area with varied forests and working with a more diverse set of people. This was because Corbett got recognition during British Raj while later governments neglected Anderson's contributions, and also because being 35 years younger than Corbett, Anderson's writings came after the hunting literature had already peaked.^[16]

Anderson inspired conservationists like K. Ullas Karanth who became Director of WCS Tiger Conservation Program. His personal land was incorporated by government in the Bannerghatta National Park, where now stands the Butterfly Park of the Bannerghatta Zoo. In 2008, a Kenneth Anderson Nature Society was founded by like-mided admirers.^[3] Private entities have named outdoor places and activities after him like the Kenneth's Bunker, and Kenneth Anderson Bike Trails.^[24][25][26]

Hunting books

• Nine Maneaters And One Rogue (1954) ISBN 978-8-1291-1642-0
• Man Eaters and Jungle Killers (1957) ISBN 978-8-1716-7563-0
• The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle (1959) ISBN 978-8-1716-7467-1
• The Call of the Man Eater (1961) ISBN 978-8-1716-7469-5
• This is the Jungle (1964) ISBN 978-8-1291-0759-6
• The Tiger Roars (1967) ISBN 978-8-1716-7468-8
• Tales from the Indian Jungle (1970) ISBN 978-8-1716-7466-4
• Jungles Long Ago (1976) ISBN 978-8-1716-7465-7

Many of these books are also available in the three volume Omnibus edition by Rupa Publications (ISBN 978-8-1716-7455-8, 978-8-1716-7456-5, 978-8-1291-3272-7).^[27]

Other publications

• The Fires of Passion (1969)
• Jungles Tales for Children (1971)
• Tales of Man Singh: King of Indian Dacoits (1961)
• The Bond Of Love

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 four volumes as Kadina Kategalu (ಕಾಡಿನ ಕತೆಗಳು).^[28]

• E. R. C. Davidar, wildlife conservationist and Kenneth's friend
• K. Ullas Karanth, conservation zoologist and Kenneth's fan
• Jim Corbett
• Hunter-naturalists of India
• List of famous big game hunters
• Project Tiger

• Kenneth Anderson's grave on the Find a Grave website: Memorial ID 121210392
• Kenneth Anderson Omnibus on Internet Archive: e-Book and PDF
• Kenneth's son Donald talks to Joshua Mathew in Youtube Video
• Kenneth's son Donald's Biography The Last White Hunter (2018): Indus Source Books, Website (Archived 24 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine), ISBN 978-9-3855-0912-4
• Tribute to Kenneth's son Donald by Joshua Mathew in Youtube Video