Benita Sen's One Lonely Tiger
One Lonely Tiger (Penguin Random House India) is Benita Sen's latest picture book on the threat of extinction. How did this book idea occur to you? Some years ago, we were flying low over tiger territory. When I looked down, the forest did not seem as thick or as large as I had imagined. I kept thinking, where would the tiger be comfortable in this depleted forest? Is the tiger safe in such an environment? An animal does not live in isolation, even if it is at the top of the food pyramid. It lives in a habitat, and every component of that habitat is vital. It reminded me of a famous anecdote I have heard from my youth and which I have never been able to verify. It’s the stuff of folk lore. Apparently, one of the Prime Ministers of our country was given the assurance that our forests were fine. When you drive past a forest, you see the front rows of trees that...