• Title: “Challenges of a Tropical Forester for Sustainable Development
• Author:  A.C. Lakshmana
• Pages:   136
• Price:     Rs. 200
• Publisher: A.C. Lakshmana

My esteemed friend A.C. Lakshmana IFS, a retired Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, gave this book “Challenges of a Tropical Forester for Sustainable Development” for my perusal. Basically a son of a farmer, he hails from a village called Srinivasa Agrahara near Srirangapatna.

Graduating with a degree in Agriculture, he started his career as an Assistant Conservator of Forests in Mysore in 1962 and rose to the level of the Secretary to the Government of Karnataka in the 90s.

In this book written by him, a memoir of more than three decades of service in the Department of Forests, he has vividly narrated his experience both as a Government servant and as a field worker in the forests. Each chapter is filled with his exciting, near death encounters with the wildlife and how he was lucky enough each time to save himself.

 In some of the chapters he describes how he could overcome the challenges posed by the vagaries of nature and man-made forest fires, every time attributing it to God’s grace as a firm believer. Overall the book keeps the reader spell-bound and makes it to read in one shot.

In the epilogue, Lakshmana surmises stressing on the importance of awakening of each stakeholder, common man, Government, NGOs and the educationists in saving the forests and thereby avoiding the calamities as it occurred in Kodagu and in other places recently. I am sure the readers who are familiar with Jim Corbet’s book would appreciate Lakshmana’s effort in this regard as it is a ‘more near home’ of his experiences  in Chamarajanagar, Nagarahole, Kodagu, Bandipur, Koppa and even Bhadra forests. The cover page is aptly designed with his Jeep and the Tiger behind the trees.    

—Dr. C.G. Narasimhan

NOTE: Priced at Rs.200, the copies are available at Geetha Book House, Sapna Book House, Hotel Lalitha Mahal and Jungle Lodges in Dubare, Bandipur,  Kabini and  K Gudi.