Kolkata witnessed a discussion commemorating the 50 years of Project Tiger involving two prominent wildlife conservationists, Sunil Limaye, IFS (Retd), former principal chief conservator of forest, government of Maharashtra, and Pradeep Vyas, IFS (Retd), former principal chief conservator of forest, government of West Bengal, along with Shiladitya Chaudhury, wildlife enthusiast and entrepreneur, and Ketan Sengupta, real estate professional and elocutionist, who is also passionate about wilderness. The discussion moderated by Soham Sengupta was followed by the launch of a one-of-a-kind coffee table book named Roar, published by Wordphonics, that features a stunning collection of photographs from various tiger reserves across India. It is the creation of tiger enthusiasts Shiladitya Choudhury and Ketan Sengupta. Ms Melinda Pavek, Consul General, US Consulate, Kolkata, was the chief guest at the event.

Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India on 1 April 1973. It came into being to arrest the rapidly dwindling population of the Indian tiger and work towards well-strategised conservation of this majestic beast. Today, more than 50 years from the day it was launched, Project Tiger is hailed as a success story that has come to occupy pride of place in environmental, ecological, and wildlife studies around the world. It has ensured a significant rise in the tiger population of the country, taking the count beyond 3,000 from approximately 1,800 in the late 1970s. The panellists shared invaluable insights and personal experiences from the speakers on tiger conservation. The discussions provided attendees and wildlife enthusiasts with a deep understanding of the significance of Project Tiger and the relentless efforts involved in protecting these magnificent creatures.

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“As an Indian, I take pride in thinking I live in a country that is home to more than 70 per cent of the world’s tiger population. As the readers browse through the book’s pages, they will be able to witness some of the majestic traits of the Royal Bengal Tiger. I am sure the readers and wildlife enthusiasts will be just as excited to go through the pages of Roar as I was while clicking the same,” said Shiladitya Chaudhury.

“The sound of animals treading on dry leaves, the forest darkness during the day mingling with feeble sunrays piercing the dense cover of the foliage, and little forest paths leading into unknown places are clearly magical. Every visit I have made to an Indian forest has turned out to be unique. The indomitable urge to be in a dense forest in the country has mostly been driven by the expectation of catching a glimpse of the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger, and how that expectation turned into a reality is captured between the hardcovers of the book,” said Ketan Sengupta.

Roar is priced at Rs 3,000 and will be available across all leading bookstores in Kolkata and beyond.