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Born in Bastar, Ajai Kumar Reddy went to school in Rajamundhry, Andhra Pradesh. Family pressures forced him to give up his education so he could assist his father in the timber business and take care of his six hundred plus livestock. As the area was infested with tigers, Reddy`s cattle were frequently attacked. Not one to keep quiet in the face of such nuisance, he decided to get rid of the menace and reluctantly got into hunting.
Later, Reddy was offered the job of a professional hunter with Allwyn Cooper Ltd. He led his high profile clients on game safaris through the jungles of India, entertaining Indian Maharajas, US Governors and Senators, leading businessmen, Indian and Hollywood celebrities, among others. With his experience and knowledge of the remote tribal dialects, he quickly became a favorite hunter for Allwyn Cooper clients.
Jay as Reddy is popularly called, shares his thoughts, fears and triumphs with readers in this well written and descriptive account of a lifetime in pursuit of the man-eating tigers of central India.
On a serious note, he reflects that he was never cheated and let down by animals, even man-eating animals, though he cannot say the same for human beings.
Man Eating Tigers of Central India
Man-eating Tigers of Central India brings Ajai Kumar Reddy`s remote, roadless Bastar of the 1950s and 60s alive once more. Meandering through secluded villages and sooty campsites, to the sometimes mysterious and otherwise riotous and noisy jungles abuzz with tigers, leopards, pythons as well as their humble prey like deer, wild pigs, and peafowl, this is far more than just a narrative about killing beautiful but deadly tigers. When a mellowing or wounded tiger can no longer hunt other animals, it begins to prey on innocent villagers, sometimes dragging them from their huts at night. Professional hunters, such as Reddy, were then asked to step-in for the rescue act.
These pages from Reddy`s memoirs carry the ground realities of co-existence between man and the majestic beast. In that scenario, the threat looms large for both and it is difficult to candidly express as to who is the hunted …
ISBN - 8187981466
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Pages : 304
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