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The Age of Endlings: Explorations and Investigations into the Indian Wild
From Amazon India
These are not trophy tales of the photographer or his ancestor, the hunter. Nor are these entreaties of the save-the-world ilk. Curious and clinical, irreverent but reasoned, these essays and exposes raise a few fascinating questions to better understand the human-nature interfaces in an increasingly crowded and edgy India.
These are not trophy tales of the photographer or his ancestor, the hunter. Nor are these entreaties of the save-the-world ilk. Curious and clinical, irreverent but reasoned, these essays and exposes raise a few fascinating questions to better understand the human-nature interfaces in an increasingly crowded and edgy India.
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 16, 2016
The Age of Endlings: Explorations and Investigations into the Indian Wild
Like all well-crafted books, this title pretty much grabs your attention right away. You wonder what an “endling” is and whether there is really such a word. Then you figure out what it means and the appropriateness of the title hits home.
Wildlife books in India largely fall into two broad buckets. Either post-colonial “shikar” style stories in the best traditions of Corbett and Anderson. Or the genre of somewhat boring semi-scientific journals from academically oriented conservationists & researchers. There is very little content out there that both entertains and educates while placing things in a modern context. Refreshingly, this book manages to do so. These are stories which are neither mere anecdotes nor research reports. Instead these are the field notes of a wildlife journalist, collected over years of hard work involving often unloved and non-glamorous topics in the world of hacks.
What one likes about the writing though is that the author has an easy going style, never taking himself too seriously as people are wont to do in this field. Even when he criticizes, he is factual and not accusing. And his facts are backed up by years of travel and the experience of actually being present at the site of most of his reports.
The author is no bleeding heart activist as can be seen from his practical support to targeted culling where required. And his pragmatic approach to the fact that the future of the species must be put before that of individual animals. There is also a depth of knowledge that he carries lightly on his shoulders. Slipping in tidbits of critical information such as how much the protected area budget translates to, in terms of rupees per km per year etc.
All good writers tend to operate at 4 levels; good writing skills, depth of knowledge, passion for the subject and a layer of thinking beyond the obvious which leads to insights. The author is clearly operating at the forth level as can be seen from the unique insights he shares. For e.g. in the case of the leopards of Maharashtra, his insight that this is serendipity more than evolution is striking. The idea that leopards are tolerated because they are unseen and they are unseen because of sugarcane fields, which are in turn a man-made water disaster and hence may not last, is something that never struck me before.
Finally, as can be seen from the last section of the book, this is also an individual who has used his writing and field work to bring out real change in the service of wildlife. His reports are packed with facts and figures and he uses them to prod and question the powers that be. Often this ends in frustration, but sometimes it also sets off a chain of events that leads to a happy ending. And that is after all, the best we can hope for.
All in all a book worth buying as it will engage you and give you the sense that positive change can be brought about through passion and a dogged pursuit of the facts.
Like all well-crafted books, this title pretty much grabs your attention right away. You wonder what an “endling” is and whether there is really such a word. Then you figure out what it means and the appropriateness of the title hits home.
Wildlife books in India largely fall into two broad buckets. Either post-colonial “shikar” style stories in the best traditions of Corbett and Anderson. Or the genre of somewhat boring semi-scientific journals from academically oriented conservationists & researchers. There is very little content out there that both entertains and educates while placing things in a modern context. Refreshingly, this book manages to do so. These are stories which are neither mere anecdotes nor research reports. Instead these are the field notes of a wildlife journalist, collected over years of hard work involving often unloved and non-glamorous topics in the world of hacks.
What one likes about the writing though is that the author has an easy going style, never taking himself too seriously as people are wont to do in this field. Even when he criticizes, he is factual and not accusing. And his facts are backed up by years of travel and the experience of actually being present at the site of most of his reports.
The author is no bleeding heart activist as can be seen from his practical support to targeted culling where required. And his pragmatic approach to the fact that the future of the species must be put before that of individual animals. There is also a depth of knowledge that he carries lightly on his shoulders. Slipping in tidbits of critical information such as how much the protected area budget translates to, in terms of rupees per km per year etc.
All good writers tend to operate at 4 levels; good writing skills, depth of knowledge, passion for the subject and a layer of thinking beyond the obvious which leads to insights. The author is clearly operating at the forth level as can be seen from the unique insights he shares. For e.g. in the case of the leopards of Maharashtra, his insight that this is serendipity more than evolution is striking. The idea that leopards are tolerated because they are unseen and they are unseen because of sugarcane fields, which are in turn a man-made water disaster and hence may not last, is something that never struck me before.
Finally, as can be seen from the last section of the book, this is also an individual who has used his writing and field work to bring out real change in the service of wildlife. His reports are packed with facts and figures and he uses them to prod and question the powers that be. Often this ends in frustration, but sometimes it also sets off a chain of events that leads to a happy ending. And that is after all, the best we can hope for.
All in all a book worth buying as it will engage you and give you the sense that positive change can be brought about through passion and a dogged pursuit of the facts.
June 10, 2021
It's a very compelling read for sure. The author is a journalist and like a true one these are reports of indian wildlife. Most of them are discomforting in nature but that's what journalists are supposed to do. The author has actually tried to see things through an analytical lenses rather than activist approach. This can be witnessed through many of his reports compiled here. All in all it's a fantastic read based on hard hitting facts.
July 31, 2021
Did Benjamin-the Tasmanian tiger or George-A male pinta tortoise realize they hadn't seen another like them for a really time. Here just replace them with humans. How safe this earth would be.
Jay Mazoomdar's The age of endlings captures the rapid end of our forests and Wildlife from the hands of government, rebel groups, Poachers, Hunters, miners, corporates, Villagers, tourists and asks serious questions. Thanks to his efforts. May his tribe grow.
Wildfires, mistimed rainfall, Recording hot temperature, drought, Floods, Pandemic and Antarctica without ice.Feather in cap my dear Homo Sapiens.
Jay Mazoomdar's The age of endlings captures the rapid end of our forests and Wildlife from the hands of government, rebel groups, Poachers, Hunters, miners, corporates, Villagers, tourists and asks serious questions. Thanks to his efforts. May his tribe grow.
Wildfires, mistimed rainfall, Recording hot temperature, drought, Floods, Pandemic and Antarctica without ice.Feather in cap my dear Homo Sapiens.
May 23, 2016
This book, a solid reporter's diary, a field based almost State of India's wilderness report. Jumping themes and states, animal and forest, curiosities and accidents. National parks and reserves. Poaching and local corruption, rural realities and the generation gap of long-held coexistence. Practical and immediate. Niyamgiri and internal unity.
Culled from his columns, case by case it exposes the well intentioned hubris of the urban-animal lover, captive release in the wild issues, waylaid legal processes, missing stamina in government decisions, wildlife trade and the reality of the Maoist corridors & how we maybe misreading processes of nature and causing more man-animal conflicts than we seem to manage. For each of the above, a field based example from India, backed with multiple contexts, voices and the wildlife journalist's observation.Fact, expert, analysis; dominate the pages, not sentiment. But it leaves you with the undercurrent of many.
The title- the age of endlings, a mark of both pessimism and calling out, the ways in which we interfere and not work with nature, bringing species after species to the brink. With our inefficiencies, shortcuts and so much more.
What lies ahead? What new forms will adaptability take?
When I turned the last page, it reminded me that top of the food chain or not, we are the predatory species of our time and that with better editing, the book would've really flowed.
A sobering read.
THE AGE Of ENDLINGS- EXPLORATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE INDIAN WILD by Jay Mazoomdaar.
Available on Amazon
Culled from his columns, case by case it exposes the well intentioned hubris of the urban-animal lover, captive release in the wild issues, waylaid legal processes, missing stamina in government decisions, wildlife trade and the reality of the Maoist corridors & how we maybe misreading processes of nature and causing more man-animal conflicts than we seem to manage. For each of the above, a field based example from India, backed with multiple contexts, voices and the wildlife journalist's observation.Fact, expert, analysis; dominate the pages, not sentiment. But it leaves you with the undercurrent of many.
The title- the age of endlings, a mark of both pessimism and calling out, the ways in which we interfere and not work with nature, bringing species after species to the brink. With our inefficiencies, shortcuts and so much more.
What lies ahead? What new forms will adaptability take?
When I turned the last page, it reminded me that top of the food chain or not, we are the predatory species of our time and that with better editing, the book would've really flowed.
A sobering read.
THE AGE Of ENDLINGS- EXPLORATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE INDIAN WILD by Jay Mazoomdaar.
Available on Amazon
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews