The King and I: Travels in Tigerland

by Prerna Singh Bindra

Less than 3000 tigers remain in the wild in India, the Asiatic Lion number an abysmal 300. The fate of the Snow Leopard is unknown, while we lose a leopard a day. With an insatiable curiosity and lavish powers of observation, Prerna Singh Bindra takes us through the vast canvas of the forests of India. Her swathe cuts through the evergreen forests of India's Northeast, across the grasslands of Central India and the teak forests of the South. The swirling waters of the Sunderbans with its man-eating tigers and associated myths are brought vividly to life. She explores the areas where the legendary hunter Jim Corbett shot his man-eaters, meets the collared tigers of Panna, follows the trail of the elusive Snow Leopard and meets Baby, a leopard raised by the erstwhile royal family of Mysore. Less than 3000 tigers remain in the wild in India, the Asiatic Lion number an abysmal 300. The fate of the Snow Leopard is unknown, while we lose a leopard a day. With an insatiable curiosity and lavish powers of observation, Prerna Singh Bindra takes us through the vast canvas of the forests of India. Her swathe cuts through the evergreen forests of India's Northeast, across the grasslands of Central India and the teak forests of the South. The swirling waters of the Sunderbans with its man-eating tigers and associated myths are brought vividly to life. She explores the areas where the legendary hunter Jim Corbett shot his man-eaters, meets the collared tigers of Panna, follows the trail of the elusive Snow Leopard and meets Baby, a leopard raised by the erstwhile royal family of Mysore.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Prerna Singh Bindra has been at the forefront of the battle to conserve India’s wildlife for over a decade. She served as a member of the National Board for Wildlife and its core standing committee (2010–13), and on Uttarakhand’s State Board for Wildlife. Prerna’s primary focus is protecting wildlife habitats and critically endangered species. She is guest faculty for a module for popular writing at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. She is a widely published author with over 1500 pieces on nature and wildlife. She has authored The King and I: Travels in Tigerland and edited Voices in the Wilderness: Contemporary Wildlife Writing. Her book for children, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Tiger, is a recent release. Prerna lives in Gurgaon but her heart, she says, resides in the forest.

Reviews

[Tariq Engineer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well worth the read but I would enjoyed it more if it had been edited better and if the production quality of the book had been higher. The binding and narrow pages made it harder to read and enjoy the photographs.