I am obsessed with (true) accounts of Jungles of India. Being a nature enthusiast and a wildlife lover it was not hard for me to find Jim Corbett's accounts and hence then after, this one by SY Montgomery. SY Montgomery's a naturalist. She has authored many books, though this is my first read from her.
Based on infamous Man-eater Tigers of Sundarbans, the work involves much research of her, spanning years, as she thronged to and fro from United States to Sundarbans in both India and Bangladesh. Her resilience and reverence can be understood as you flip through pages. Language Barrier didn't stop her in unearthing secrets and mystery that the mangrove sits on. You can however feel the frustration of her for inability to conduct an effective communication with the locals.
The work does not limit itself to only flora and fauna of Sundarbans as I had expected, rather it encapsulates every being - biotic or abiotic - associated with it. In a broader framework, the author weaves around a holistic ecosystem that is interdependent on Sundarbans. Sundarbans, also an abode of Last Remaining Species of Royal Bengal Tiger, carries an aura that is more of a feeling (touch and hear) than to see through eyes. A hard thing to swallow for a westerner or a rational thinker, although somehow the author concurs to local perception of the region as something beyond mere logic or scientific explanation. For example, a popular local perception that (repeatedly emphasized in the book) a tiger can fly through air; can appear from nowhere; can shrink a human body to half its size, etc., can at once be negated by a westerner but the author neither negates it nor confirms it, that some things cannot be explained, seems to be an appropriate explanation. Shamanism prevails to this day in Sundarbans, surprising is the fact that even the forest department assists the locals in conducting rituals that one must conduct before entering forest for livelihood purposes. The author delves deeper in to such ritual practices and proceeds for validation here. This is where you may find the book goes off topic!
As a wildlife lover (if you are) you are certainly to expect more enlightenment on flora and fauna, which are elusive to this date. Although there is a brief enlightenment on its diverse flora and fauna, but the author focuses more on local people and henceforth their beliefs and practices or mysticism associated with forest and the locals. She in fact delves deeper in to conduct research on forest gods. As a result at times, I felt little drowsy (No offence) while struggling to find traction. The title does little justice to the work, that is what I believe. In fact the book is great to read if one wants to understand the communities of Sundarbans.
On a concluding note, as I said the work is a treasure for those interested in anthropology of the region. However, if you expect a work, that is majorly based on fauna and flora, this might be a little disappointing, as it did to me. For, any jungle based account surely involves its people who are part of the ecosystem, and hence I cherish their presence in real life or for that matter in a book. However, here author shifts more towards local community and doing slight injustice to fauna and flora of the region. This is my personal opinion and mean no offence to whomsoever it may concern.
