Colin Smith (lepidopterist)

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(1936-11-24)24 November 1936
London, England
Died (aged 86)
Pokhara, Nepal
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipNepal
Scientific career
FieldsLepidopterist
Natural history
InstitutionsAnnapurna 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
  1. "The delicate beauty of Nepal's butterflies". OnlineKhabar. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. "'पुतली बाजे' अब सम्मानार्थ नेपाली". DeshSanchar. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  3. "Birds and Butterfly Research". Namaste Nepal. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  4. "Putali Baje obliged with Nepali citizenship". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  5. "पुतली बाजे and the metaphor of metamorphosis". NepaliTimes. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  6. "Butterflies in Nepal". Inside Himalayas. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  7. "पुतली बाजे: 'पुतली खोज्दै आएँ, नेपाली नागरिक भएर मर्न मन छ'". BBCNews. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  8. "British national 'Putalibaje' receives citizenship of Nepal". South Asia Time. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  9. "British national Putalibaje to receive honorary citizenship". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  10. "Korean philanthropist Um Hong Gil gets honorary citizenship". South Asia Time. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  11. रहेनन् ‘पुतली बाजे’, ८७ वर्षमा अस्ताए (in Nepali)


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