M. K. Ranjitsinh

An extraordinary story of an exceptional person, a scion of the princely clans of central India, who was born with the proverbial smoking gun in his hands, but thankfully did not develop into a mass killer of animals, as by his time the general mood had changed. Ranjitsinh joined the Indian Administrative Service, and went on to work assiduously for the conservation of what was left of India's wild spaces and wildlife. He has been instrumental in getting important protected areas declared as national parks or sanctuaries, in fostering landmark legislation, in strengthening the administrative setup on the ground, and so on. What is especially astonishing is the sheer breadth of his physical exertions, the geographical and altitudinal spread of his travels, and the deep familiarity with species that most of us would find it difficult even to name (and I say this as retired forester), all documented by his own photographs taken probably in the era of film. He has taken care to acknowledge the efforts of all colleagues and employees, big or small, by name, and has wisely not referred to adverse entries by name. He says that after his retirement, and change of mood in the government, he was eased out of successive committees and advisory bodies as he was too staunch a proponent of conservation even at the cost of so-called development. Finally, as the main champion of the project to re-introduce the cheetah, he has given his reasoning in a final chapter, and he can be happy that at long last the project has got under way with the arrival of a few animals in the chosen reserve.… (mehr)