The majestic Great Indian Bustard, which Salim Ali had proposed be our national bird lost out to the peacock for the potentially disastrous effect the misspelling of its name could have in government documents (Photo: Ranjit Lal) All of the three bustard species to be found in India face the same SOS situation due to the same underlying conservation issues, and which we are now trying desperately to rectify (which is not going to be easy). The majestic Great Indian Bustard, which Salim Ali had proposed be our national bird – with a shrewd eye on the protection it needed, and more importantly its habitat would get, lost out to the peacock ostensibly for the potentially disastrous effect the misspelling of its name could have in babu documents. At one time this gloriously snooty bird would stride about the open, dry grasslands and scrublands all over India, from Karnataka to the Punjab. Today, the wild population is down to less than 150 birds all confined to the Desert National Park in Rajasthan.…