Category: Uncategorized

A man, an actor, a husband, a friend, a parent, a patriot and a legend with a host of admirers like Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri, Balraj Sahni led the golden era of Indian cinema.

He was known to be true to his principles, a non-conformist often remembered for his portrayals of the underprivileged. Read his story, written by his son Parikshat Sahni, and celebrate the life, times and impact of a simple man who inspired an entire generation of actors and continues to do so even today.

Here are some moments from Parikshat Sahni’s book that we found memorable:

(Balraj Sahni) had worked with Mahatma Gandhi for a year in Sevagram in 1938. The following year, he was called upon to leave Indian shores and take a ship to England, to broadcast programmes in Hindi for Indian soldiers fighting overseas. He didn’t hesitate for a minute. He was unlike anyone else in the family. Influenced by the Romantic poets, he was a swash-buckling adventurer always looking for and taking on dangerous new challenges. He was a non-conformist and not one to pursue traditional lines of work. 

~

(Balraj Sahni) craved for romance and adventure. He fell madly in love with his first cousin, Santosh Kashyap (Byron was in love with his half-sister) and a great romance developed between them till it was discovered by their elders. They were horrified and afraid it would sully their name in the Arya Samaj fold, particularly as my grandfather was the head of the samaj in Rawalpindi. The family was quick to quash this budding romance before it flourished. 

~

(At a fancy party, Balraj Sahni) piled his plate with a generous helping of rice and dal and half a tandoori chicken. He started eating the chicken with his hands. The woman, who had been witness to Dad’s rustic antics, could not help coming up to him once again with a plate of salad and some steamed vegetables, topped with a piece of chicken. Picking at her food daintily with her fork and depositing it carefully in her mouth, she asked, ‘Don’t you actors have to look after your figures?’ She pointed to the mound of rice, dal and tandoori chicken on Dad’s plate. I could see that by now Dad had had enough of this elderly woman and her persistent efforts to needle and belittle him. ‘No madam, not character actors like me. I like to eat well.’ 

~

How did Balraj Sahni become a Marxist? One of the reasons that he went to England, I think, was to take a closer look at the nation that ruled India. It was there that the Marxism bug bit him. He became an admirer of the Soviet state, not by reading the tomes of Lenin or Das Kapital, but by watching Soviet films, which were widely shown, as the British and Russians were allies then. As he mentions in his autobiography, it was a Russian film called Circus that converted him. 

~

During an occasion in Srinagar, Balraj Sahni was, among others, in the company of Mufti Saheb’s daughter, who later, like her father, became the chief minister of Kashmir. She was in her early twenties at the time. If I am not mistaken, she is not a very tall lady and Dad towered over her. She looked up at him adoringly, but he wanted to impress her and the others in the room by appearing even taller. So he balanced himself on a little wooden strip that separated one room from another (as was customary in the wooden houses in Kashmir in those days) and stayed perched.

Those who only saw him on the screen loved him for his realism and projection of his art; those who saw him on the stage loved him for his contribution to their cultural life; those who only read his books loved him for his literary prowess; those who knew him socially loved him for his gentlemanliness and affability; those who knew him politically loved him for the commitment and dedication he brought to whatever cause he espoused and those who knew him personally loved him for his honesty and simplicity. Read the book to get to know Balraj Sahni better!

The Moonshot Game by Rahul Chandra, the co-founder of Helion Ventures, describes how global conditions, local consumers, founder ambition and good old greed shaped the start-up story in India. It is a candid memoir in which Rahul tells us about his journey of building one of India’s oldest Venture Capital firms. In a remarkably gripping account, he recounts his adventures in India’s hyper-funded start-up ecosystem.

Here are some anecdotes from the book that stayed with us:

Prior to EyeQ, we came across a childbirth clinic that was attempting to make childbirth a pleasant experience for the expectant mother. The team was a combination of an obstetrician and a businessperson from a real estate background. A single location of a childbirth clinic could generate Rs 2-3 crore and lowered the complexity bar for the number of locations. This made it very attractive. We decided to invest in this company and called a few VCs to co-invest with us. One of them liked the company so much that they decided to keep us out and funded the company entirely on their own. It was a strange experience, but we admired the VC firm for their single-mindedness. 

~

Founder salaries are Gandhian tools to keep the balance between founders and investors. They are Gandhian because it’s a moral position achieved through a personal sacrifice. How much is a founder’s salary worth? When everyone around the table knows the salary-earning potential of a founder who has chosen to take an income only for sustenance, the power of that moral stand helps maintain the balance in the board. As an investor, I have tremendous respect for founders who forego high salaries to put the company’s interests first. The cash is limited; it can be dissipated in high salaries or be used to build more equity value for everyone. I saw an example of this in Mr Ashok Soota, co-founder of IT services company Mindtree. After the dotcom collapse in a tough market, he decided to cut his salary in half. As a young VC working at Walden, I was awestruck by this act of leadership by Ashok. The board had to work hard to convince him to consider a cut that was not too deep! 

~

What should have been a simple first round of financing was a drama of epic proportions. Our lawyers presented the company with a first draft of the lengthy agreement called the Shareholders Agreement, the SHA for short. After UnitedLex went through the SHA, a frustrated cry of disbelief went up. They thought the SHA draft was a piece of shit. I got a call from the co-founder. You need to immediately fire your law firm, he said. The partner who is talking to us doesn’t know how to even draft. And don’t even mention the abilities of the associate in the law firm. I was yet to figure out that this sort of extreme views would be the opening lines of many other conversations that would follow. I am a good listener, but a good listener needs to dispel notions. I laid out my sympathies but ended the call with a fait accompli. The law firm would stay. We have got to live with our displeasures. 

~

On 5 July 2013, Apoorv Sharma of Venture Nursery sent me a mail connecting me to the founder of a company called Oravel that they had seed-funded. The founder, Ritesh, wrote me a nice short mail introducing himself…. His mail was an eye-catcher in which he precisely captured the key points of what they did, how they had been growing, their credentials and when they would like to raise their next round… Ritesh was nineteen years old at that time. I introduced Ritesh to my colleague who was covering travel. He had met Ritesh earlier but still did a perfunctory catch-up. The age factor was an oversized oddity. The ability of a nineteen-year-old to build a business was highly questionable. Oravel did not even make it to the priority list in our internal filter. Better known as OYO, Oravel would be running 12,000 hotels in 337 cities by 2019 and would be valued at $5 billion.

~

On 15 October 2010, I was hosting some close friends at home. We had known each other since eighth grade and it had been a fun evening. I had a barbeque going in the front lawn and I was in charge. There was nice wine to go with the food and the weather in Gurgaon was perfect to sit outdoors. My friends were sitting around the barbeque. Around 9.30 p.m., my BlackBerry started buzzing. I had been very careful about not burning the food on the barbeque, but this buzzing somehow compelled me to pull out my phone. I squinted to read in the dim outdoor light, and an email containing breaking news from Andhra Pradesh confirmed my worst fears. Now oblivious to the barbeque, the implications of what I was reading started to slowly sink in. The ongoing battle of words between the state administration and the ‘highflying’ microfinance companies had escalated to a full assault. The state had passed a promulgation that banned microfinance activity in the state. This promulgation would throw three of the largest microfinance companies under the bus. A total of Rs 7000 crore would go up in smoke. We all had burnt food that night.

Grab your copy of the book today to learn more about a VC’s constant journey of ups and downs and why no amount of failure can be an excuse to lose optimism in the power of entrepreneurship!

Munir Khan, a recent widower from Toronto, meets the charming and witty Mohini Singh, a married liberal newspaper columnist, in the bar of the high-brow Delhi Recreational Club. Will their passion survive the menacing shadows of terror attacks and the wounded memories of Partition?

Written with trademark sensitivity and a sharp, affecting vision, A Delhi Obsession is M.G. Vassanji’s most urgent novel yet. Set in contemporary times, it unravels an unexpected yet prophetic story of passion, love and faith.

Read on about 4 instances from the book that showcase the struggle between love and faith:

Now, whenever they argued, and it seemed they did so frequently, he was likely to come out with a mocking, ‘And I guess you find that Khan of yours perfect!’ Once he said, ‘Still pining for that Muslim! Don’t forget your parents escaped with their lives, from the other side, his side!’ This was not usually like him, he was deliberately provoking her with these cheap communal references, and she had replied sharply, ‘He’s not my Muslim!’

∼

He had read that the term ‘Hindu’, derived from the name of the river Indus, originally referred to the natives of that area. That included those who had opted to follow Islam. Only later had it begun to acquire its rigid exclusivity. The population of Afghanistan, where his paternal ancestors came from, had been mainly Buddhist originally. His mother’s people came from Gujarat, where the current prime minister of India was from. What was Munir Khan, then? ‘Asian’ had been good enough in Nairobi. Now art moved him; music and literature. That was his worship, there lay his gods. He had been happily, willingly deracinated. Now, with a visit to Delhi, his grandfather’s city, he was saddled with this question: was he a Muslim? But did that—whatever it meant—matter? It seemed to matter very much in India. Everyone had a brand, and that indelible brand carried a violent history from the time of Barani that still mattered centuries later. Your people ruled us for seven centuries, as Mohini had said so casually. It was a troubling reminder.

∼

‘We are different, Hindu and Muslim, like day and night . . . But whether Hindu or Muslim, you are a married woman with a home, Mohini!’

∼

She had not promised to God. Only to a holy man. To be chaste and pure. And she believed sincerely that her love was pure. She wasn’t promiscuous. She was modest and generous, she had been attentive to her parents. She had not lied to Ravi . . . just kept things from him. Between them was the arrangement of marriage; respect and care, duty. Affection too, at times. But nothing like what she felt for Munir, and he for her. She and Munir were meant to be, and they had found each other.

Get your copy of A Delhi Obsession today!

As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar by Vikram Sampath aims to unpack his ideology, that stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National Congress.

Here are some unknown facts about Savarkar’s life from the book!

Savarkar started a dual organization—a front-end entity that organized ‘peaceful’ activities like festivals and melas, which could have a wider societal outreach and become the hunting ground for talented youth with a nationalistic drive and organizational skills. This organisation was called the ‘Mitra Mela’, or Group of Friends, as a front-end organization of the Rashtrabhakta Samuha.

∗

Savarkar was against foreign goods and propagated the idea of Swadeshi. In 1905, he burnt all the foreign goods in a bonfire on Dussehra.

∗

Despite being born in an orthodox and religious Chitpawan Brahmin community, Vinayak despised the caste system right from childhood. This has been illustrated in the kinships he developed with children from various castes and strata of society, and how he dined at their homes.

∗

At a time when most members of his community forbade sea travel for fear of a loss of caste, Vinayak was among the few Brahmins who travelled to London for his education.

∗

Savarkar had no qualms about going non-vegetarian as well, unlike most Brahmins of the time.

∗

Savarkar penned essays on the abhorrent practice of the caste system and untouchability and how these sapped the nation of all vitality.

∗

Savarkar supported cow protection but considered cow worship superstitious.

∗

Savarkar was arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the Morle-Minto reforms. He tried to escape by diving in the water but was arrested as he reached the shore. On July 1911, Savarkar was sentenced to two life sentences i.e. 50 years in the cellular jail of Andamans, also called Kala Pani.

Get your copy of Savarkar today!

In The Moonshot Game – a book dedicated to ‘the founders who have been, the founders who are, and the founders who will be’ – Rahul Chandra, the co-founder of Helion Ventures, gives us the behind-the-scenes story of a VC’s journey, right from the beginning of the second start-up revolution in India in 2006 until the end of the funding frenzy in 2016.

We have picked out some tips for you on how you can go about impressing a VC – straight from a VC’s mouth!

Keep the business model simple!

The best part of BookMyShow’s model was its simplicity. It was a low-margin business but the number of people who would eventually buy movie tickets on the Internet was projected to grow by many thousands in the future. The tough times that followed the founding years of BookMyShow were not just due to lack of money, but also competition. Eventually, BookMyShow won both battles. Many competitors perished. BookMyShow was more or less the last company standing, and like MakeMyTrip, it dominated the online movie ticketing market.

~

Timing plays a Massive Role- make sure it is correct for your business!

In another decade, a Graycell could have grown like WhatsApp, a JiGrahak like Paytm, but there is such a vast difference in outcome in seemingly similar concepts. The constant analysis of what makes some start-ups successful while some equally smart founders fail shows that timing has a massive role. This one factor is a huge determinant of success and is hardest to determine.

 ~

Have a Product Head

The product head was the bridge between the customer and the engineering team. The role required the product manager to translate between these two functions. This ensured that engineering built great features that made production adoption easy. This role had still not appeared in consumer Internet companies in India.

~

Keep the audience on the edge while giving a presentation

Vijay’s voice was high-pitched. Unlike pitches which ramble on to produce a soporific effect, Vijay’s incantations kept my brain on edge…. Vijay was speaking in a curious Hinglish. He punctuated every sentence with an ‘okay’. But damn, he had some energy. I could tell that sitting down was too passive for him. Given a chance, he would stand up and walk all over the room while explaining himself. His hands had a life of their own. As he moved them, the vision of Vijay Shekhar Sharma started getting painted in my head. He had me in goose bumps during the course of this first meeting.

~

Make it clear what help is needed from the VC

Like Deep Kalra, Saurabh also made it clear what help he needed from his VC firm. He wanted help with finding quality businesspeople to join his lean team of engineers. There were lots of partnerships to be done. This meant we were playing out our promise of being active investors.

Get your hands on the book today to get more insights into the secret world of a VC!

To add to the Diwali excitement, we have an explosive range of books for the young ones! Whether they want to meet Dev who daydreams just like them in class, or hop on an adventure with the delightful chihuahua Mr. Cheeks, this festive list has something for everyone!

Here is a list of all the colourful stories coming your way:

Two Epics in One by Devdutt Pattanaik

The country’s favourite mythologist, Devdutt Pattanaik, empowers and entertains with a double bill of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata for a whole new generation of readers, in his easy, distinctive style.

This gorgeous flipbook, bringing together Pattanaik’s previously celebrated works, is both playful and informative! Flip the book and look at the epics in a brand new light.

~

Crack the Code by Aditi Singhal and Sudhir Singhal

 Mathematics just became fun!

Whether you are 11 or 41, you’re going to love solving the 25 mysteries in this book that combine simple cryptology and arithmetic with some quick, out-of-the-box thinking. Use these innovative puzzle-based activities and stories to build problem-solving skills, remember maths concepts and practise mental maths in a way that’s effective and, most importantly – fun!

~

The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev by Ken Spillman

Sitting in class or watching clouds from the roof of Kwality Carpets, Dev’s flights of fancy land him in challenging environments all over the globe.

Follow Dev as he accompanies the ghost of a Sherpa woman on a quest to conquer Mount Everest. Ride with him as he traces the Amazon River, which proves much more difficult than going with the flow!

If your younger one is a daydreamer too, Dev will be the perfect companion!

~

The Daughter from a Wishing Tree by Sudha Murty

Did you know that the Trinity often turned to goddesses to defeat the asuras?

Did you know that the first clone in the world was created by a woman?

The women in Indian mythology might be fewer in number, but their stories of strength and mystery in the pages of ancient texts and epics are many. They slayed demons and protected their devotees fiercely.

From Parvati to Ashokasundari and from Bhamati to Mandodari, this collection features enchanting and fearless women who frequently led wars on behalf of the gods.  These empowering stories will inspire your young ones to be fearless!

~

My Values Collection (Boxset) by Sonia Mehta

Nicky and Noni are just like you. They’re funny, they’re crazy and they love to have fun. But sometimes, just sometimes, they can be very naughty indeed. That’s when they get into trouble. Along the way, they learn something important–that having good values helps them become good people. And that being good isn’t boring, but lots of fun.

Enjoy this collection of six Nicky-Noni books that show children how having values is so cool!

~

The Incredible Adventures of Mr. Cheeks by Tazmeen Amna

The Annual Carnival of Hastings is fast approaching and Mr Cheeks, a dapper tap-dancing chihuahua; Mr Grey, a grumpy Persian cat who paints; and Hopper, an anxious rabbit who sings, are super excited! All geared up to show their uniqueness, they set out to sign up for the talent shows. But little do they know that in Hastings, everyone has their set roles: only nightingales are allowed to sing and only peacocks can dance. But is that fair?

This exciting journey of three friends will inspire young readers to follow their heart!

For more posts like this one, follow Penguin India on Facebook!

In First, They Erased Our Name, for the first time, a Rohingya speaks up to expose the truth behind this global humanitarian crisis. Through the eyes of a child, we learn about the historic persecution of the Rohingya people and witness the violence Habiburahman endured throughout his life until he escaped the country in 2000.

Here are some deeply moving moments from the author’s personal account:

“Once our people had left the country, it was difficult to return and reclaim what was rightfully ours. The authorities had robbed my family of everything, but my grandparents and my father had carefully conserved our title deeds. Arakan was the only possible place they could settle and find food and water, the only place they could hope to have a life.”

~

“Some Rohingya who lived in the smaller, more remote villages were warned about the Dragon King operations. My grandmother had just enough time to bundle up her most precious belongings, gather together her personal documents, and dig a deep hole under her hut in which to hide her life’s savings: gold jewellery that she could not take with her. She chased her livestock into the woods and took a boat upriver, as far away as possible from the Arakanese militia.”

~ 

“My Khumi friends call me ‘the Muslim’ to differentiate between me and the rest of the group, but it is always said in an affectionate, teasing way. However, the children from the Buddhist Bamar and Rakhine ethnic groups refuse to call me and my family anything other than kalars, said in a spiteful and aggressive tone. I hate it when they shout this name, as if they were spitting into our faces. I do my best to ignore them.”

~ 

“I suddenly hear Mum’s words: ‘At night, when it’s dark, think of the moon and the stars. They are the light of hope, our eternal guardians. Wherever you are and wherever I am, they will bring you the messages that I’ll send.’ To this day, I still don’t know why my mother went on that journey. Nor what happened when she arrived in the unknown place that I’ve only ever seen in my dreams.”

~

“I never knew my own grandfather, who used to live with my grandmother and father in nearby Arakan State, before our family were chased away by men from the dominant tribe, the Rakhines. Or maybe it was the Burmese soldiers. I can’t remember anymore. Whichever it was, my grandfather was arrested and tortured to death. Grandma often cries when she talks about him. The rest of the family went into hiding while they waited for the manhunt to end.”

~ 

“Football is my passion, but I am not allowed to enter school or village competitions because I am Muslim and black. Nonetheless, my teachers, who are from the minority Chin group, let me join in some of the training sessions like this one. During these sessions, nothing else matters. All I think of is the game, the strategy, and the adrenaline of winning. These moments united us through a shared language that ignored skin colour, religion, and origins: the universal language of sport.”

~

Habiburahman’s First, They Erased Our Name is an urgent, moving memoir about what it feels like to be repressed in one’s own country and a refugee in others. It gives voice to the voiceless.

Renowned journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, fondly known as J, Dey, was murdered by members of the Chhota Rajan gang in 2011. A few months later, a fellow journalist and crime reporter Jigna Vora was arrested in connection with the murder. Seven years later, some of which were spent in prison, Jigna was acquitted of all charges.

Here are 10 things about the resilient author that you may not have known:

Jigna Vora studied Law from Ruparel College, Mumbai. She also did a one-year diploma course at Somaiya College, where Velly Thevar, her faculty and a well-known crime reporter working for the Times of India, sparked her interest in crime reporting.

~

At the behest of her parents, Jigna was forced to give up an internship with a reputed law firm to agree to a marriage with a man who, she was told, was an engineer and ran a printing press in Bharuch, Gujarat. She later discovered the claims to be false and this set the course for a tumultuous marriage that eventually ended on a bitter note.

~

In May 2004 Jigna moved back to her maternal home in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, where, as a single mother to a four year old son, she decided to pursue a career in media.

~

Jigna Vora joined the Free Press Journal (FPJ) in November 2005 and in her role as a court reporter her first assignment was to cover gangster Abu Salem’s case at the TADA court situated inside Arthur Road Jail.

~

After ten months in the Free Press Journal, Jigna Vora bagged a position with Mumbai Mirror as a court reporter, where her assigned beat was the sessions court at Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. Her interaction here with many accused and known criminals helped her step into the role of a crime reporter.

~

Jigna Vora covered her first underworld story in December 2005 when Sujata Nikhalje, dreaded gangster Chhota Rajan’s wife, was arrested for extortion threats against a builder under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act.

~

Jigna Vora worked for Mid-Day as a senior correspondent for the sessions court. Her big story about the controversial encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma sent shock waves across the country.

~

May 2008 marked another milestone in Jigna’s career when she joined Asian Age, which was the publication part of Deccan Chronicle, a revered brand of south India.

~

During her stint at Asian Age, Jigna covered the sensational story of Jaya Chheda, who had master-minded the murder of her ex-husband Suresh Bhagat – Mumbai’s matka king – in a bid to gain control over his thriving business.

~

Year 2011 changed the course of Jigna Vora’s life and brought her promising career as a journalist to a screeching halt. She was catapulted into a media storm when crime journalist J. Dey was shot and killed in Mumbai by the hitmen of underworld don Chhota Rajan.

Having survived the most challenging phase of her life, Jigna now practises healing, tarot card reading and astrology. She is currently researching for and writing web series and movies.

Her book, Behind Bars in Byculla, is available now!

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to be part of the armed forces, let the Our Amazing Armed Forces take you through this experience. From moving homes to making new friends, from deployment to reunion, from patriotism to tender family moments, these books go on to describe the daily lives of armed force officers and cadets.

Brimming with facts and impactful stories, read on to find out how an individual can rise through the ranks:

Indian Airforce

Is Air Chief Marshal senior to Air Vice Marshal? Zoom in to find out!

Indian Navy

Is Captain the boss of the Navy? This handy infographic will tell you

Indian Army

Major or General? Who is ranked higher? Zoom in to find out!

My Father Is In The Indian Army,  My Mother Is In The Indian Air Force and My Sister Is In The Indian Navy– Our Amazing Armed Forces series is available now!

The Indian subcontinent along with the rest of the world, faces the urgent threat of a dwindling wildlife population with 6,127 species deemed as critically endangered, as per an International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN)​ report. Benita Sen’s ​One Lonely Tiger​ perfectly captures this modern day threat of ecological extinction, via a children’s story that doubles as a wakeup call for audiences young and old alike. The story features a lonely tiger as its protagonist, whose attempts at finding someone to play with end in unforeseen consequences, bringing out Sen’s brilliant use of satire to invoke action.

The Bengal tiger, India’s national animal and the pride of the nation, is revered for its agility and majestic appearance.

The tiger is a symbol of majesty, grace, and strength. The Indian subcontinent, rich and diverse in its ecology, has always recognised the importance of flora and fauna, with carvings of animals like tigers and elephants being found in the remains of the Chola Empire and the Indus Valley Civilization. Elaborate sculptures, paintings, and modern day stamps, have featured these majestic creatures, arising from the belief that human beings and animals must coexist in harmony. However, colonization, and the period following it, played a significant role in the rapid decline of the ecology, with animals like tigers suffering a huge hit in population.

The colonizers believed in exploiting nature for the purpose of recreation and development, a trend that has somewhat stayed.

Trophy hunting of tigers as a leisure activity was popularized during the British Raj, an activity which was believed to represent man’s might over the fiercest of animals. The majestic tiger was seen as a symbol of prestige, with its head mounted on the wall considered as the ultimate symbol of pride. The introduction of western science and technology during Industrialization worsened the situation for the tiger and the general animal and plant population, with dozens of square feet of forest being cleared for factories. The advent of Industrialization acted as a catalyst to the already dwindling population of tigers, as the animals were already being hunted as big game.

Poaching and deforestation for developmental and agricultural purposes have significantly reduced the number of most animals, including the tiger.

Sen’s story focuses on the lonesome state of a seemingly enthusiastic tiger, who spends his time in search of friends to play with.

The tiger in Sen’s story chases his own shadow, the ‘strange black cat’, out of the desperate need for companionship. He attempts to make friends of animals like, the ‘frisky jackals’, and an elephant named Jumbo, but all in vain.
Sen’s children’s story serves the hard hitting truth of the increasingly lonely state of India’s national animal, the tiger, while commenting on the general state of degradation faced by wildlife. The tiger population of the country has come down from a whopping estimate of one lakh in 1900, to about 3000 in the present day. This dwindling wildlife population is testament to a history of irresponsible decisions made by human beings in the past years. Project Tiger (1973) salvaged the species from complete extinction. The programme increased the population by about 2,226 tigers in a little over three decades. The number of tigers as estimated in 2018 stands at 2967. Today, India is home to the largest population of tigers in the world.

Sen’s tiger showcases animals’ yearning for contact and a stable home free from human intrusion. The continuous exploitation of animal and plant species has led to many ‘lasts’ in the ecology.

The narrative addresses the issue of deforestation, and the loss of wildlife habitats due to human construction. It hints at what more animal corridors could help with: easy and safe passage from one forest to the next.

The narrator poses a very important question to readers in the beginning of the story.

At times, he got a little bored— Yaaawn—where could he go?

(​One Lonely Tiger,​ 2019, p. 7)

“..where could he go?” this troublesome question is raised to alert action, by highlighting the need to return the animals’ homes to them. Ecological degradation has reached an ultimate high with 130,000 square km of forest land being cleared every single day, according to a World Wildlife Fund for Nature report. Human demand is failing to keep up with supply, leading to the extensive exploitation of natural resources, subsequently making these very resources scarce.

Human intrusiveness is the root cause for environmental degradation, with forest land being cleared for construction, farming, and mining purposes.

He looks down where the forest was And lets out a long, sad sigh. ‘Where did my home go?’ he cries. ‘Where and why, oh why?’

(​One Lonely Tiger,​ 2019, p. 34)

Chased by lumberjacks, who would “…leave nothing to count, No grass or hedge or sedge.” the tiger hops off earth to Mars. The animal is shown leaving the planet where it was abused.

The tiger represents the state of most animals in the world, who are either in queue to become endangered or on the verge of becoming extinct, with the problem of loneliness not remaining limited to humans alone.

Continuous exploitation has forced several animals to live in isolation, devoid of interaction with their fellow species members, as a consequence of their homes being felled, and poaching. The story of George, a lonely tree snail, the last of his kind in the Hawaiian region, is a sad reminder of the cost of economic development. The snail was bred in captivity, and required a male mate found in the natural environment to procreate and regenerate the species. However, the absence of a mate lead to a sad ending for his species of snails.​ ​Other species of animals like the Black Rhinoceros, the Yangtze softshell turtle, and the Amur Leopard, among many others, are resigned to lonely lives as the last few of their kind remain.

The growing loneliness of wildlife species, and the dire condition of the ecology is a major concern for not only the present, but for future generations as well. Stories like ​One Lonely Tiger aim at raising awareness about pertinent environmental issues for younger generations to better understand the situation of the planet, with the hope that it will guide individuals towards more responsible courses of action.

But the story is not all desolate. There is lots of gentle humour as the animals interact. The illustrations by Sekhar Mukherjee match word with visual. The end result is a keepsake. The book ends on a strong note of hope as the human beings realise what they have done and get their act together.