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Tiger terrain again
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Prerna Singh Bindra's book, The King and I, claims to take a new approach in writing about wildlife conservation
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PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K
BRAND TIGER Prerna Singh Bindra: `You have to have a flagship species. You can't tell people, look you have to save the spider, though the insect is very interesting to observe and study'
Tyger, tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
The Tyger, William Blake (1757-1827)
I don't expect many people to know William Blake, but the first two lines of the poem will definitely ring a bell. A shoe manufacturer once used it, famously, to sell his brand of outdoor shoes. What do outdoor shoes have to do with the tiger? Well I guess it helps sell them.
Now a tiger stress stares boldly at you from the cover of The King And I — Travels In Tigerland, a book on big cats that jostle for space with humanity in India, written by journalist Prerna Singh Bindra. The book is the latest in a line of titles by a multitude of authors that read Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger Forest, The Tiger In India, The Temple Tiger, Face Of The Tiger, The Soul Of The Tiger, Saving The Tiger, The World Of The Tiger and The Land Of The Tiger.
"Why does everyone do tigers? I don't want to talk about everyone else. But I know more about them and have been to more tiger reserves. And the book is not just about tigers but also about other big cats such as the Asiatic lion and the leopard," Bindra justifies her book.
Different approach
The King And I might be again riding on `brand tiger', but claims to take a totally different approach. It is based on the travels of the author to forest reserves that are inhabited by big cats, not just the tiger.
"This book is meant for a layperson. There are tons of books on tigers — they are good, but you might not want to go through them if you don't know tigers. I wanted a book that would appeal to people who only hear about tigers in the morning news and say, `Oh, that's terrible', and then go back to drinking coffee. I hope that this book will reach that person, engage him enough and not preach."
The first thing that you notice about the book is the speed at which you can go through it. The language is quite easy but Bindra doesn't ignore conservation issues totally.
"Each chapter has a conservation note in it. My stress again and again is that I just want to introduce you to the tiger. I wanted that introduction in a light manner without ignoring the serious part. I just touched upon the Tribal Land Rights Bill at the end. I included it because I didn't want to say, `Hey! See the tiger' while its dying in our backyard every day. Maybe I should have included some information on where people could know more about the Bill."
Though a majority of the content in the book is devoted to the tiger and issues around it, the chapters to do with the Asiatic lion, and especially the extinct Indian cheetah (with illustrations) make for interesting reading. Bindra says that India has today forgotten its cheetahs.
"I included the extinct Indian cheetah because it's almost as if it never existed. It has happened and we are not doomsday pundits, but one big cat has gone from India. I don't want the snow leopard to face the same fate."
Throughout the book one can find several tongue-in-cheek references to environmental policy and policy makers. Bindra is especially scathing on the tourism policy that is minting money using the few tigers that remain in the forests. One picture, which shows two jeeploads of tourists chasing a tiger to photograph it, says it all.
"The money (generated by tourism) is not going back to the reserves. My problem with tourism in India is that it's so disruptive and wayward. We don't do it in a scientific manner. You have DJs coming to hotels near Corbett Park. If you want a DJ, you go to Mumbai or Delhi. Is that how you define eco-tourism? Having a hotel near the edge of the forest."
Upon finishing the book, one does get a feeling that the tiger gets more than its fair share of attention when it comes to conservation issues. So, are many other species suffering because of a lack of attention?
Bindra says: "You have to have a flagship species. You can't tell people, look you have to save the spider, though the insect is very interesting to observe and study. In that sense the tiger has played its role. But there are species that won't be saved by the tiger. The great Indian bustard doesn't stay in tiger territory. There are only about 500 left."
The book published by Rupa and Co., is priced at Rs. 495.
ANAND SANKAR
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