Sunderbans- the story of Ban-bibi

The Sunderbans, at the south-eastern border of India and Bangladesh, is one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, spanning about 5000 square kilometres. This has also been been the scene of a long-standing man-tiger conflct, with a number of human deaths each year attributed to man-eating tigers. The Sunderbans are approachable by driving about a hundred kilometres to the south-east of the metropolis of Kolkata and then taking a mechanized boat from either Canning or from Gosaba.

The fishermen and honey-collectors living in the area are great believers in prayers to Ban-bibi before entering the mangrove forests. Ban-bibi is said to have had a miraculous birth and is equally revered by the Hindu and Muslim people in that area. At about that time, "Dakhin-rai" was a despot who tried to maintain his rule by offering human sacrifices to the wild tigers inhabiting the mangrove forests. One day Dukhey (the very name suggests a "sorrowng one"), a poor fisherman was to be so sacrificed to the tiger, and he prayed long and earnestly to Ban-bibi for succour. The goddess answered his prayers and threated Dakhin-rai that she would put an end to his depradations. Dakhin-rai submitted to the goddess, who then took Dukhey on her lap and consoled him. This legend is widely believed in the region and shrines to Ban-bibi may be seen at many places in the Sunderbans.

"Dhokra Art" - Basic Facts

“Dhokra” is a common folk art form in India. This is widely practised in many tribal areas of India, but mainly in central India, such as in Madhya Pradesh, and Chattisgarh, as well as in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal. This art-form for making castings in brass or bell-metal (these being varying compositions of copper, zinc and occasionally a bit of tin or arsenic) relies on the “lost-wax” process of casting. The “lost-wax” process is so-called because the forms and designs are made in bees’ wax or some similar malleable materials that volatilizes and evaporates or is otherwise “lost” in the process of heating up the rough casting in a furnace. The process starts with craftsman or artist making a rough clay figurine or shape, say of a horse or a bull, or some local deity, or a utility item like a candle-stand, as the core for the casting. This clay, usually from a river bank, is finely ground and sieved and then shaped and dried in the sun. The surface of this “core” shape is thoroughly smoothened and the craftsman proceeds to cover this fully with fine extruded threads of bees’ wax. Over this are placed the actual designs as diamond-or star-shaped or coiled arrangements in bees wax and the finer details of eyes, ears, clothing, ornaments, etc. (also in bees wax) are added on. This wax-coated core is then covered with clay, also finely sieved and of a soft texture, and allowed to dry in the shade for a couple of days. This is then coated with a thicker and coarser layer of clay mixed with rice husk, taking care that at one point, either at the top or bottom of the shape, an aperture is kept open with a couple of thin bamboo sticks. This whole is then again dried in the shade for a couple of days.

The above photo shows three different types of "lostwax" art - the typical folk style, the South Indian statuette and modern art college piece. It will be realized that with this process the wax designs made on the inner core have made for a gap of about 1.25 to 1.5 mm (i.e. the diametre of the extruded wax threads) with the other clay coating, carrying the imprint of the patterns and designs on the inner surface of the clay coating. The rough casting is then placed in the furnace together with a small pot carrying the brass or bell-metal scrap fixed firmly where the bamboo sticks emerge from the aperture. This whole is then heated in a furnace with the pot of scrap metal at the bottom and bellows are used to induce the furnace temperature to rise to more than 900 deg. C, which the melting point of brass. The bellows are kept going for an hour or an hour and half till the clay casing starts glowing yellowish red. With practice and experience the craftsman knows when to take the next step and this he does by clamping the red-hot piece with long iron pincers and swiftly turns it over so that the molten brass or bell-metal now flows down by gravity and occupies the space for the patterns and designs left on the inner clay core as the bees wax would have by now long volatilized and evaporated. The casting is allowed to cool in the shade for an hour or so and then outer clay casing is broken open and the final cast figure emerges. This is then cleaned with light brushing with an iron brush and further finished if required with a steel file. Strange as it may sound, this same “lost-wax” process has been used also to make the famous “Tanjore Bronzes” in Tamilnadu as well as the well-known Benin Bronzes from West Africa. Of course, in such cases the clay core has been much smaller and the bees wax coating considerably thicker and smoothened over with fine iron implements. The finer details of eyes, nose, ears, hands etc, are usually later sculpted on the cast figurine with fine iron instruments and the figure finished with steel files, sand-papering and buffing.

This picture is of a traditional Dhokra item from Bastar in Chhattisgarh, of Rama and Lakshmana confronting the demon Ravana.

Sino-Indian Border Conflict - a view-point

Recently, Bookgeeks reviewed the book entitled "A Conflict in Thin Air" about the Sino-Indian Border Conflict. The review stresses the detailed research that went into thw writing of this book and the wealth of details about Tibet, China and British India that shaped the the origins of this conflict. The link to the review is as follows - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mbXnhg7RJ4

Iran - some more views

Iran has attracted me for many years, on account of a sense of cultural proximity, some degree of linguistic affliation, and of course, historical interactions. But it was only in 2017 I was able to visit Iran with some friends but we had to get over the initial provblems of making out an itinerary, making foreign exchange remittance to make bookings, etc. Besides Tehran, we were able to visit the main cities like Shiraz, Isphahan, and lesser-known places - at least to the general tourist - of Yazd, Kashan and Qum.

These pictures (top two in Tehran) and bottom one in Shiraz) have been given to provide a glimpse about modern Iranian society and their interests and concerns: thety were as happy sitting in a garden or visiting a place of historical ietrest as any other.

The above pictre was taken at the Nisar-ul-Milk Mosque in Shiraz and shows an Iranian lady taking a photo of the stained glass window.

The Bathing "Ghats" of Kolkata

The bathing "ghats" are part of the cultural tradition in Kolkata. Situated mostly on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, itself a branch of the holy Ganges, the "ghats" or the steps leading to the river, at times with nice pavilions to shelter from the sun, go back nearly three hundred years. These sites are shown in several of the old maps. This one is from Upjohn's map of 1794, showing some of the "ghats" to the north of the present city.

The "ghats" are places where many people assemble for religious ceremonies on designated auspicious dates. A dip in the river is still considered to be part of a purification ritual. Many carry away a little bit of the river water to wash some part of their home or to use it for some household religious ritual.

Several of these "ghats" are linked up with the history of Kolkata, such as the Prinsep Ghat named after James Prisep, who first decoded the Brahmi script of Ashokan edicts, oe Babu Ghat, named after the husband of Rani Rashmoni, who in the mid 19th century had bested the British admnistration on several ccasions.

Dholavira - A Indus Valley Civilization site in India

The Indus Valley Civilization (or IVC for short) that grew up in the valley of the Indus River about five thousand years back, is well-known. Not so well-known is the fact that almost contemporaneously, sites similar to the well-known sites of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro also grew up in parts of Western India. One such site is Dholavira near the town of Bhuj in Gujarat. It is at some distnace of about 220 kilometres to the north of Bhuj and it takes about four hours to drive up each way.

The drive is quite pleasant especially in the morning in cold weather. The remarkable thing to be seen at Dholavira is the rain-water harvesting system with channels running down from the hillock down to the terraced water reservoirs at the bottom of the hillock, as may be seen in this picture. The Local museum of artefacts recovered during the archaeological excvations at Dholavira is also inetresting.

Discovering Calcutta - A book now in Bengali

 There are many books on Calcutta in both English and Bengali. Some deal mostly with the history, some are about a few of the well-known families of the city, some are on the Bengali cuisine, etc.

There is now - thanks to Ananda Publishers - a book that takes the reader around in easy-paced walks to discover the city for oneself. 

This book, "Paye Paye Kolkata" (or, Walks in Calcutta) guides the reader along the main routes to see the city more fully, in its history, architecture, something of its social history, the eateries, and so many things. There are sections on old maps of Calcutta, the well-known sweet-meat shops, old paintings and lithographs, and so on.  The book is available at most retail outlets, or from the office of Messrs. Ananda Publishers.

 

Orchids - Jewels of the Flower World

 Flowers of the orchid plants have some of the most interesting shapes and colours that one can find in the plant world. 

India has over 1200 orchid species growing in various parts of the country, out of which over 500 orchid species grow primarily in the Himalayan foothills at elevations of about 250 metres to about 2500 metres, and many of them in Northeastern India. Some of the best places to see orchids growing - some grow in autumn and many in spring and summer - is in in the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal and in Sikkim, which is close by. 

Aerides odorata

Dendrobium nobile

Rhynchostylis retusa

Some of these, especially the Aerides species, or the well-known Vanda roxburghi or the Rhynchostylis retusa are able to tolerate a good deal of heat and can grow even in the plains of central India.  Many grow in Assam and in Arunachal Pradesh and other states of the Northeast.

Yakshagana - folk theatre of North Karnataka

 India has a rich heritage of folk theatre. These range from the "Chhau" of south-western West Bengal and northern Odisha to "Lai Haroba" in Manipur. And there is the colourful "Yakshagana" of North Karnataka, full of verve, vigorous dances and fine singing to the accompaniment of the traditional "chhenda" drum. The main centres are near Honavar and Bhatkal in North Karnataka, which may be approached by a 5 or 6 hour journey by train or vehicle from Bangalore or from Goa.  A major teaching facility is of the Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandal.

 

 Here, Shri Keremane Shivananda Hegde, who is the third generation teacher and performer, provides instructions in the intricacies of the dancing steps and movements as also in the hymns that are sung during the performance. 

This theatre form seems to have emerged about 400 years ago, and is primarily based on themes taken from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. This is now performed not only in the big cities like Bangalore and Mangalore, but also is also very popular in the smaller towns, where travelling troupes, such as that of Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandal peform, mainly commencing with the winter season.  

Bowali - An interesting Suburb of Kolkata

 Bowali, which is a suburb of Kolkata on its south-western fringe, is historically notable. Approachable via Tollygunge, Behala and Bakrahat, Bowali at one time was the ancestral residence of the Mondal family that had large land-holdings in that area dating back to the 18th century. Even now, some of the relics of that age, such as the "Rasha-mancha" shown below, may be seen.

One section of the family broke away in the late 18th century and came over to the Tollygunge area of Kolkata, just next to the famous Adi Ganga. Here was constructed in 1797 the huge "nava-ratna" or nine-pinnacled temple to the deity, Radhabinode by Ramnath Mondal of the Bowali family. It is said that this was taken as the model for the famous Dakshineswar temple built by Rani Rashmoni to the north of Kolkata.  

India - the economic scenario

 The Covid-19 has cast a haze of doubts and confusion over the economic scenario in India. The restrictions necessary to combat the virus have severely impacted economic activity despite recent government efforts to revive the economy. 

That laws, plans, and programmes do not lead to near-term results have been known for many years. Ever since the initiation of the Five Year Plans in India in 1952, the gap between promise and performance has persisted. In a country as large and diverse as India, opening of economic flood-gates does not ensure that the benefits will duly percolate to the individual farmer and farm-holding. 

Partly this has been due to the growing population and partly because the basic realities of the wide-spread poverty and out-dated technology levels in many sectors, especially in agriculture. These issues were  dealt with in the above-mentioned book and the need for political positions to take due account of economic realities was highlighted. Moreover even with the best of intentions, the complexities of implementation and management were not duly provided for, leading to severe economic road-blocks. 

Bastar - Fade-out of a Tribal Culture

 Bastar is a major part of the state of Chhattisgarh. It is to be reached from the rail-head of Raipur, by a drive of about 150-160 miles. One may also reach the main headqaurters at Jagdalpur by train from Vishakhapatnam that runs to Kirandul near the Bailadilla Hills; this train journey is  picturesque with many high bridges and tunnels.

The population of Bastar was mainly tribals of Gond origin, such as the Muria, Bison-horn Maria, the Hill Maria, the Dhurwa, Poroja, and others. They were living in the hills and forests of Bastar, around the villages (now towns) of Antagarh, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Jagdalpur,  Dantewada and Sukma. It was a difficult life as the terrain is hilly and the soil  stony. But they still had their songs, and dances, their arts and crafts. Their gods and goddesses like Burha Deo and Telgin Mata had their abode in the same hills and forests. 

But with time, trade and commerce with neighbouring districts and states increased. This affected tribal life in many ways, and the old practices, the old songs and dances were progressively discarded. Whether Bastar will still be able to hold on to what is distinctive about  their culture only time will tell. 

India Current Affairs - the Sino-Indian Border Conflict

 Ever since the latest series of Sino-Indian border frictions started in May 2020, this has been much debated and discussed on the media. Even a couple of days ago, an overseas specialist who has done research on this topic implied in a major newspaper interview that the border problem is a product of British thoughtlessness in the matter. 

To cross-check I went back to my book "A Conflict in Thin Air" published in 2016 by Cinnamon Teal Publishing. In this I could identify the treaties between India and Tibet or China on the following occasions - (a) Between Kashmir (then under the  Maharaja, Gulab Singh) and Tibet in 1842, (b) Between Ladakh and Tibet in 1852, (c) the Cheffo Convention between Britain and China in 1876, (d) British India and China Treaty of 1890 setting out the configuration of the Tibet-Sikkim border, (e) the Simla Agreement of April 1914, which China signed and then repudiated and (f) the India-China Agreement on border trade in 1954. As to specifically about an understanding or appreciation about the  border, I can only refer the scholar concerned to the several maps that British India produced from 1840s to 1890s, especially about Ladakh. At least 3 or 4 attempts were made by British India to have the Chinese authorities to agree to joint surveys from 1870s to 1920s but to no avail.

All these records are available in the India Office Library in London, and references will be found in the books by Dr. Alastair Lamb , Dorothy Woodman and others. To paraphrase Shakespeare in the play "Julius Caesar" -- "The fault, dear China, lies not in our stars, but within you". 

"Patachitra" of Odisha

 "Patachitra" is a folk art form of Odisha, practised mainly in villages near and around the temple city of Puri. A prime centre is the village of Raghurajpur that is about 20 kms from Puri on the way to Bhubaneswar and it can be easily approached from Puri by bus or vehicle or even train. 

The word "patachitra" is derived from "pata" or plate or canvas, and was traditionally painted with oil-based colours on thin boards of wood, or on palmyra leaves, or on cloth. Patachitra as a folk art form seems to have started about a couple of centuries ago and has for motifs mainly themes based on Lord Jagannatha and Lord Krishna. Earlier it was done with a stylus on palm leaf but progressive it has come to be done with oil paints, mainly with  primary colours  of yellow, blue, red, green, with outlines finely etched with black, on cloth or wood. 

 

This picture is of a patachitra item collected from Raghurajpur, sometime in 1990-91. It was done the famous patachitra artist, Jagannath Panigrahi, a national award-winner at that time. 

Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajasthan

 Kumbhalgarh is located about 80 kms. from Udaipur town and boasts a grand fort that is said to have been constructed in the reign of Rana Kumbha of Mewar in the 15th century. Architecture of the Kumbhalgarh Fort is quite unique in that the outwardly bulging walls made it difficult for any invaders to approach closely. The name of Rana Kumbha is associated with several heroic deeds in the history of Rajasthan. It was here that Rana Pratap is said to have been born. The inner buildings are approached a number of high gates such as Bhairon Pol and Vijay Pol. The fort encompasses a number of temples such as the Neelkantha Mahadeo and the Parshvanath temples. 

The length of the fortress walls runs for 26 kms. thus making it the second longest protective wall after the Great Wall of China. The width of the wall is also remarkable being about 5 mtres wide.  It is certainly a grand spectacle.

Sino-Indian Border Conflict: a Historical Perspective - I

Excerpts from the book "A Conflict in Thin Air",on the Sino-Indian border conflict, published in 2016 by CinnamonTeal Publishing (also available through Amazon) --  

"Tibet, a vast plateau at an average height of more than twelve thousand feet altitude in most places, straddles a large chunk of Asia, bounded by the Himalayan mountain ranges to the south and pierced in places by high passes like Lanak La, Shipki La, Mana, along the Himachal Pradesh-Tibet and the Kumaon-Tibet borders respectively, the passes in Nepal, and Nathu La, and Jelep La in the Sikkim Himalayas. The Karakoram mountain range stands guard to the southwest of Tibet, the Kuen Lun range on the west, the Koko-nor area and vast alkaline marshes on the north east and, a rugged tangle of hills and forests mostly between ten and fifteen thousand feet on the east bordering Yunnan and Szechuan provinces of China................Over the last thousand years or so, traders from Kashmir, Bushairis from Himachal Pradesh, Bhutias from Kumaon, and the Nepalese and Bhutanese traded across the high mountain passes for wool, salt (Tibet having many saline springs and lakes), gold, borax and so on, while the Chinese traders via Yunnan brought in great quantities of black tea that the Tibetans were inordinately fond of. In turn, Tibetan traders came with their wares of gold, silver, leather, and of course wool, into the marts of India and China (Tibetans were bringing their goods-laden mule trains to trade into Kalimpong in the Darjeeling hills in India via Jelep La as late as 1950s).

A view of typical Ladakh landscape

Pangong Lake in Ladakh - scene of recent skirmishes

I had visited Ladakh for sight-seeing in June 2013 and that as well as a chance discussion with a friend set me off to know more about the Sino-Indian border conflict. It took me over 2 years of research and going through about 70 books and several maps to get a grip on the subject. This resulted in my book on the Sino-Indian border conflict that is mentioned above.

Excerpt -- "At the core lay the long-standing Sino-Tibetan animosities of over a thousand years. And,  the persistent attempts of Tibet to assert its independence with the equally persistent efforts by successive Chinese administrations to enjoy the fruits of Mongol and Manchu imperialism since the mid-13^th century in Tibet, Sinkiang and Mongolia. Added to this was the ups and downs of Tibetan and Chinese administration in the respective countries since the 17^th century (including outbreak of civil wars in the two countries), the advances made by European and British imperialism in both China and India, the Sino-Russian tussles in Mongolia, and of course, the “Great Game” between Britain and Russia............... There have been quite a few books on the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962, such as those by Neville Maxwell, Karunakar Gupta, S.R. Johri and John Garvin (amongst others, besides those by Dalvi and Kaul) fairly well-known to the Indian reading public. But, as my studies revealed, there were many, many others, drawing upon extremely valuable archives and records that, together with some basic histories of China and Tibet, help provide valuable insights and perspectives on the whole issue of the “Why?” of it. I have seen those records through the eyes and pens of renowned scholars such as Dr. Alastair Lamb, Dorothy Woodman, Margaret Fisher and her co-authors, Parshotam Mehra, and those of much earlier days, such as Charles Bell, E. Teichman, Robert Reid, T. Richardson, L. Petech, and many others, whose names have been mentioned in the Bibliography. Added to those should be the known and unknown surveyors of those border areas, whose maps with their wealth of details are a joy to behold."

This brief introduction to the geography and history of Tibet and China should help in a better understanding of the issues. The book of course gives a fuller exposition.

Jaisalmer in Rajasthan

 As most people know, Jaisalmer is situated in Rajasthan right on the western border of India. It is well-known for its fort and the desert scenery nearby. It is connected by air and rail from the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. 

 

The Jaisalmer fort is truly magnificent and towers over the city. The golden-yellow sandstone with which it has built given a spcial glow in the early or late sun-light. 

Inside it is equally impressive with beautifully designed pavilions and intricate carvings.

But it is the evening out in the desert together with a camel ride over the sand dunes that is most attractive to tourist.

West Bengal - Terracotta temples

Terracotta,  or unglazed fired clay products, is an ancient art form in India. It seems to have developed as an extension of pottery-making, which is possibly the oldest craft practised by mankind after the making of stone tools. 

It was of course much later, possibly around 700 or 800 CE, when temples began to be built in India that ways had be found to decorate the temples with sculptures, and it was mostly in stone in those days. Sophistication in temple architecture progressed with time and finer and more elaborate carvings began to be made by the 15/16^th centuries. 

Yet finer designs and in less time and less effort came with the development of terracotta tiles to decorate temples with. Necessarily, terracotta generally flourished where stone for temple building was scare and clays were abundant, as found in the numerous river basins, such as the Kangsabati, the Damodar, Ajoy, Rupnarain rivers and of course the Ganga (Hooghly) in West Bengal. It was of course to some extent deliberate because of the ease and the sophistication of designs that could be made in clay relative to that in stone.  This found a great flowering in the late 17^th, through the 18^th and into early 19^th century. A good part of this now has become part of Bangladesh but a great deal remains in West Bengal to be enjoyed in towns such as Bishnupur, Kalna, Ilambazar, Guptipara and elsewhere in the Bankura and Midnapur districts of the state. These sites are quite easily accessible from Kolkata by journeys of just three to five hours by bus, vehicle or train.

The "Jor-Bangla" temple in Bishnupur

"Raghunath" temple in Ilambazar

A hunting scene on Jor Bangla

A detail with Shri Krishna in Shyam Rai temple, Bishnupur

  

As the above illustrations indicate, the motifs for the sculptures in the terracotta are diverse, ranging from the secular, such as wars and royal hunts, to the common devotional theme of Shri Krishna with the gopinis in Vrindavan. Tile after terracotta tile is placed on the basic superstructure of the temple, made here mostly of laterite blocks, to create a wonderful piece of art. 

pdg-books: Books by Prosenjit Das Gupta

Over the years a number of books on history and wildlife by Prosenjit Das Gupta have been published. The first such was "10 Walks in Calcutta", published in 2000 by Harper Collins, which was on the Best Seller list of "The Statesman" newspaper for several weeks.
Over time, other books appeared and a consolidated list is as follows --
(i) "10 Walks in Calcutta" published in 2000 by Harper Collins and revised, enlarged edition published by Hermes Inc. in 2006.
(ii) "Walks in the Wild", published in 2002 by Penguin Books, being an account of the impressions and experiences in India's  wildlife in the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries from 1968 to 2000; this was subsequently revised and enlarged and published with the title "Wild Experiences"by Sanbun Publishers in 2011.
(iii) "Tracking Jim", published in 2005 by Penguin Books, documenting researches on the life and times of that legendary hunter, Jim Corbett, who shot many man-eating tigers in the Kumaon region of India and authored the well-known books on his experiences on those hunts. It also covers the search for the localities and places associated with Corbett's hunt for the man-eaters, and their descriptions, so that others interested may discover Jim Corbett in their own way.

(iv) "After Elwin", published in 2007 by Chronicle Books, deals with the life and researches by the well-known social worker and ethnographer, Dr, Verrier Elwin, on some of the tribes of eastern and central India, such as the Saora, the Baiga and the Muria. It goes on also to record the travels and experiences of the author in following up on the foot-prints of Dr. Elwin in those same tribal areas much later, in the 1970s. This was substantially revised and brought out with the title "Chasing a Dream" by CinnamonTeal Publishing in 2014.
(v) "Issues and Idioms", published in 2015 by CinnamonTeal Publishing, was the author's first foray into current affairs of India. This has attempted to unravel how the language of political communication and public discourse in both Parliament and the national media has changed over the 60-odd years since Independence of India in 1947 and why.
(vi) "A Conflict in This Air" published in 2016 by CinnamonTeal Publishing deals with the Sino-Indian border conflict in 1962 and covers the researches by the author into the history of the three main protagonists in the the issue, viz. China and Tibet since the 8th century, with British India coming into it since the early 19th century while Imperial Russia was ready to intervene at times. With the India-China border dispute cropping up every now and then, this provides useful background material. 

(vii) "A Partition in the Mind"published in 2018 by CinnamonTeal Publishing attempts to put the Partition of India in a historical perspective by trying to understand the basic philosophies of Islam and Hinduism and how this in one way or the other impacted the development of India as a nation. It also deals with the role of the colonial British administration, which directly or indirectly played an important role in this process.  It is to be hoped that this would lead to a better understanding of how the Partition of India came about.

The more current books will be available On-line from CinnamonTeal Publishing. Some of the earlier books have become out-of-print over the years but copies may still  be obtained from Amazon, Goodreads, and several other agencies.

Wildlife in India - Multitude of Experiences

There are those for whom viewing wildlife is an outing, and for some it is a passion. If it had not been a passion for me, I could not have been at it from 1968 onwards, partly for the thrills of the experience and partly in discovering the panorama of life all around.
India is blessed as few countries are in enjoying varied wildlife landscapes: from the heights of the Nandadevi and the Kanchenjungha National Parks at 12000 feet or more, to the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer and the Marine National Park near Jamnagar in Gujarat. Added to this are the fifty odd Tiger Reserves all over India covering more than 70,000 sq. kms. and the Protected Areas such as National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries designated under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (including the tiger reserves)  numbering over 600 and accounting for about 170,000 sq. kms. across India.
Having started visiting these wilderness areas over fifty years ago, I was able to see many of them, and not once but several times, over these years. Also, regulation of visitors was not so strict in those times and I could move around on my own or with a tracker in many places, especially in Palamau, Simlipal, Dudhwa and Corbett.

I had many interesting  impressions and experiences over this time and I wanted to share this with others who may not be able to spare the time to go out frequently into the forests, and this resulted in the book "Walks in the Wild", published in 2002 by Penguin. The book was well-received and was
favourably reviewed by the Bombay Natural History Society and the Sanctuary Asia magazine; the review by Sanctuary magazine is given below:

"Palamau, Simlipal, Betla, Bandhavgarh, Dudhwa, Corbett, Ranthambhore, Bharatpur, Manas, Kaziranga, Madumalai, Nagarahole, Bandipur, Chilika… all magnificent wildlife destinations that every nature-lover dreams of visiting.

For decades, Prosenjit Das Gupta has explored the wilds of India from evergreen forests to scrub habitat driven just by his passionate interest in wildlife and nature. In this pursuit of adventure and his quest to record the beauty of nature, he has been charged at by elephants and rhinos, has had a tiger walking right towards him and has been stranded all alone in the middle of the forest.

The book covers his fascinating experiences of his sojourns to various sanctuaries and national parks mostly between the mid-70s and early 90s. Central and northeast Indian reserves are more widely covered in the book, probably because the author is based in Kolkata. He writes of his first love – the Palamau National Park, tiger sightings in Kanha, birdwatching, exciting afternoons spent on machaans and his gratitude to trackers and knowledgeable forest guards who taught him so much about wildlife. His experiences at a Goalpara police station in Assam, an elephant exploring with its trunk and trying to catch the scent of the author, who was crouched on a machaan and seeing flying lizards make interesting reading.

His wild encounters on foot, elephant back and bicycle are written with humour and captures the high drama of the jungle. It reveals the author’s love for the wilds and his passion for wildlife photography. Unfortunately, the black and white plates in the book are reproduced rather badly and are quite unremarkable. The author also touches upon the pioneers of wildlife biology and conservationists in India and also discusses the ill-effects of tourism. A compelling read that will want you to drop everything and set off on a trip right away to discover wild India.

http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/conservation/reviews/book-reviews/1232-walks-in-the-wild.html"

That this brought me several new friends was an unexpected bonus. There are plans now to update and enlarge this publication.

"10 Walks in Calcutta" - the book

Calcutta (now officially called Kolkata since 2001) was once the capital city of British India from 1858 to 1912 (when the capital was shifted to Delhi) is a fascinating city with its amalgam of a great deal of cultural, political and social history (not only of Bengal but of India as a whole), colonial Renaissance-style architecture, the Indo-Saracenic mode and of course, examples of the native "ath-chala" and "pancha-ratna" mode of buildings.

With the continuing interest of the reading public and of visitors to the city in the book, it is proposed to bring out a new, revised and considerably enlarged edition of this book shortly. 

The book, "10 Walks in Calcutta) came about in 1998 as a result of the walks I had actually undertaken from about 1984, along the roads, lanes and by-lanes of the city, exploring new neighbourhoods, marveling at the architecture,  meeting and talking with people, researching history, taking photographs and so on. The book was published in 1999 by Harper Collins and was well revived and the reviews given below will show; a further, enlarged edition was published in 2004 and again 2006 by Hermes Inc., and a Bengali edition, called "Paye Paye Kolkata" was published in 2018 by Ananda Publishers.
A couple of reviews of the book are as follows --

"On Foot -- If you don't mind breaking a sweat and rubbing shoulders with the aam janta (common man), Kolkata is quite a walkable city, at least in parts, with its pavements lined end to end with makeshift shacks selling practically anything that is sellable! Early morning is the best time to get out and stroll through the streets; it's still relatively quiet, and the air is cooler and less choked by pollution. Pick up a cup of tea from the chai-wallas who serve their sweet brew in tiny unfired clay cups -- India's answer to the polystyrene cup, these are simply discarded after use. A great way to get acquainted with Kolkata is to pick up a copy of Ten Walks in Calcutta by Prosenjit Das Gupta (Hermes Inc.) from a bookstore.

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/kolkata/274375#ixzz4Hvr5"

"Urban safari

Prosenjit Das Gupta has logged over 150 miles simply walking around the city, Pentax 1000 slung over shoulder, notebook in hand.

Labonita Ghosh – India Today, April 3, 2000 | UPDATED 16:44 IST

For Prosenjit Das Gupta, going around in circles can be a good thing. Now he's telling others how to do it. In his recently published 10 Walks in Calcutta (HarperCollins) - a literary global positioning system - Das Gupta, 55, combines maps, history and philosophical asides to allow readers a zoom-in on the city. You must be a walkaholic to write this one. Das Gupta qualifies: he's logged over 150 miles simply walking around the city, Pentax 1000 slung over shoulder, notebook in hand.

The book is more discerning. It picks the 10 most picturesque and heritage-dotted routes to give walkers a "feel" of the city.

There's the labyrinthine Chitpore Road past the crumbling mansions of old, affluent Bengali families including the Tagores' house in Jorasanko; the riverfront stroll past the ghats; the "path of knowledge" through the city's academic district of College Street.

Das Gupta prefers the offbeat road, cramming the book with minutia rather than textbook history. He actually barged into people's houses collecting facts, and at times got into trouble with the law. Like when he was shooting a photograph of Writers' Building and the security men thought him to be a terrorist.

The book took Das Gupta - a Presidency College alumnus who now works with a refractories firm - 12 years to compile. He was inspired by a leaflet on walking in Aachen, Germany, and Desmond Doig's Calcutta: An Artist's Impressions.

It's hard to tell who the book is for. Tips on clothing, about carrying water and taking a hepatitis shot before eating out, smack of a manual for foreign tourists. But Das Gupta insists it is "first and foremost" for Calcuttans.
"They never really see their city, they never look up," he says. "If you want to study the jungle, you'll have to get down from your jeep." Meanwhile, the book's writer himself may be on the road to Part II. But that's another story.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/prosenjit-das-gupta-talks-about-his-book-10-walks-in-calcutta/1/243805"


The book gives the readers easy-to-follow maps and descriptions of locations and sites in a convenient manner so that even a casual visitor to Calcutta can actually stroll down the various roads and streets and discover the various localities and their specialties in culture or cuisine, and enjoy the experience in one's own way.