At a time when the conversation around the coexistence of humans and animals is heating up, a new coffee table book—'Warrior Queens of Ranthambore'—pays tribute to one of the most photographed tigresses in the world till her death on August 18, 2016: Machhli.
The reigning tigress of Ramthambore for nearly all of her 19 years and foremother to around half the 80 tigers in the Rajasthan sanctuary today, Machhli seemed to have adapted to humans entering her jungle occasionally - story goes she would lay around in broad daylight for photographers to click her and would use safari vehicles as cover on her hunts.
Stories about Machhli's valour and independence have passed into legend now—like the story of how she lost two canines in a fight with a 12-foot mugger crocodile (some accounts say the crocodile was 14 feet long and double her weight) or how she wrestled with her mother to take control of prime jungle real estate in Ranthambore and earn the moniker of Lady of the Lakes.
'Warrior Queens of Ranthambore: Riddhi, the reigning queen' by Manish Kalani, revisits some of these stories about Machhli—along with photos of Machhli by the late photographer Aditya 'Dicky' Singh—as well as her descendants at Ranthambore. Machhli's family tree appears in the early pages. And the book introduces readers to 12 tigresses, including Machhli, through 500 photos and accompanying text.
Machhli; Machhli's daughter Krishna' Krishna's daughter Arrowhead; Arrowhead's daughters Riddhi and Siddhi; Macchli's grandniece Noor, Noor's daughter Noorie; as well as Laila and Laadli make up the star cast of this book.
Photographer and author of the book Manish Kalani shares stories of his own encounters with some of these tigers (of Arrowhead he writes, "Through my lens, I witnessed Arrowhead's electrifying charge from the underbrush, targeting a herd of unsuspecting deer." The image on the facing page shows Arrowhead holding her kill close).
Warrior Queens of Ranthambore review
India's tiger conservation story is largely one of great success—of course, it has its blips as well, like the death of tiger T58 near Ranthambore on July 7.
The book is the result of years of photographing these tigers of Ranthambore, but it is by no means an exhaustive story about these tigers or their home in Ranthambore. For the most part, the content explains the context of a photo, how and when the photographer took the image.
At Rs 4,990, the coffee table book may also not be for the casual reader or conservation (or even tiger) enthusiast.
Having said that, Machhli, Krishna, Arrowhead and now Riddhi-Siddhi have their own following. Photographers and conservationists from all over the world come to see them, to note their rise to dominance in the different zones of the jungle and their decline.
Machhli died in 2016, and Krishna (T-19) died in February 2023. In the time they spent in this corner of the earth - 19 years and 15 years, respectively - they mesmerised visitors, improved tiger numbers at the sanctuary significantly (Krishna had a total of 12 cubs and Machhli before her had 11), left behind stories that have become part of the DNA of Ranthambore through telling and retelling.
'Warrior Queens of Ranthambore: Riddhi, the reigning queen' by Manish Kalani is releasing at WWF-India, Pirojsha Godrej Building, 172B Lodhi Road at 5.30pm on July 25, 2024.
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