Man and leopards have been living in close proximity since ages, but in the last century, the situation has turned against the latter due to some natural and mostly man-made factors. Therefore, the peaceful coexistence between the two has been replaced by constant skirmishes. Strangely, when we witness a rise in such conflicts in other parts of the country, there is a friendly and sacred bond seen between the 'Rabaris' and these cats in Jawai and Bera in the Pali district of Rajasthan, where leopards are revered by 'Rabaris' who term themselves as devotees of the Hindu God ('Shiv Bhagat') and describe leopards as the dwellers of the jungle ('Banwasi'). This is indeed a mystery that remains unresolved to this date and requires detailed explanations and straightforward answers. The book, 'Whispers of Leopard' seeks to provide insight into the natural world from the leopard's perspective. As human-leopard conflicts rise, fostering a compassionate attitude towards these creatures becomes crucial. It will be useful to those interested in wildlife conservation and exploration.

In this tender loving memoir, Valerie Steiker evokes a magical childhood on the Upper East side of New York with a woman whose own losses led her to delight in family, beauty and life itself. Valerie Steiker’s Belgian Jewish mother, Gisèle—who, as a child in Antwerp, was hidden from the Nazis—wasn’t a typical American mom. She spoke with throaty Belgian Rs and wore only high heels. Before her marriage, she had studied acting with Lee Strasburg and been a model in Mexico. With her vitality and elegance, she created a joyous childhood for Valerie and her sister. Together they tangoed through their vibrant Manhattan apartment, took in great art, and shared “women’s hidden secrets.” Gisèle’s premature death left Valerie (at the time a junior at Harvard) unmoored, but in grieving and in finding her own path to womanhood, Valerie would ultimately grow to understand Gisèle more profoundly than she ever had as a child. Beautifully evocative of a glamourous and now-vanished world, The Leopard Hat is an extraordinary memoir about the warm and indelible bond between mother and daughter.

Some people talk about nature, others listen to it. Listening can reveal wondes like how to befriend an elephant, how to talk to a tiger and how to live in the jungle. Many such amazing experiences crowd this volume containing the unpublished writings from the early and last years of the well-known naturalist, the late E.R.C. Davidar, besides his acclaimed book Cheetal Walk. a lawyer by profession and a shikari-turned-photographer, he established maybe the first ever private elephant corridor in India, near his jungle-cottage, and undertook the first census of the Nilgiri tahr along the entire range. Charmingly told, funny and brimming with insights, the book, enriched with photographs from the family album, not only enlightens us about wildlife and conservation in the Nilgiris but becomes a memoir of a jungle lover and his family.