WALKING THE WESTERN GHATS

It is said of Johnsingh that he lives to walk. In this book, he goes on serveral walks across the rugged and enchanting Western Ghats, detailing the presence and absence of the flora and fauna. Tiger pugmarks, tahr pellets, leopard scrapes, hare tracks, sloth bear droppings, otter spoor, porcupine remains in leopard scat, scent of tiger spray, alarm calls of the wild, intrusion of non-endemic flora- nothing misses Johnsingh as he straddles the length and breadth of the Western Ghats.

The walks are never without risk; he bumps into a tigress and her cubs, has a narrow escape from a chasing elephant and wakes up one morning to see a sloth bear barely 50 m from his rock bed! But Johnsingh manages to lighten these situations with graceful wit. Along each steps, he picks up issues that have ravaged the habitat and provides useful suggestions to save it from further onslaught in the name of developement. He packs his narration with fun, adventure and sincerity, making it very thought-provoking.