Whispers from the Wild by E.R.C Davidar & Priya Davidar (Ed.) (2012) Paperback

by E.R.C. Davidar

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 Many such amazing experiences crowd this volume containing the unpublished writings from the early and last years of the well-known naturalist, the late E.R.C. Davidar, besides his acclaimed book Cheetal Walk.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.

Genres: Nature, India

Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Raksha Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

What appealed to me in this book was the transition ERC Davidar talks about, how and why he turned into a conservationist from a hunter. He takes you to the Nilgiris with his words. He also writes about the various wildlife species in the region. His interactions with the flora and fauna are filled with interesting advices for the reader. The humour is an added bonus. For me 'Cheetal Walk ' in fact felt like home.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Borrowed from a friend, so grateful for it. Review coming up soon.

[Anjali · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fraudulent marketing ploy. This book is largely the same as ERC Davidar's Cheetal Walk (part 2 is entirely Cheetal Walk) with a few chapters thrown in as parts 1 and 3, which are not worth the read. They have juvenile descriptions of his pets 'having sex' with his arm and other sundry objects, and are nowhere near Cheetal Walk's mature, deeply researched natural history descriptions of various fauna. I'm miffed because I already own Cheetal Walk; and bought this one, as another book. No where (except in the introduction, which one does not access prior to an online purchase) does it say, that this is mainly Cheetal Walk's reprint. My rating of Cheetal Walk is 4 stars, but this one, 2.

[Mahuya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a wonderful book to read. You can enjoy it in your bed room or living room or you can easily
take this book along with you to any remote part of jungle or mountains.It tells you the story of a shikari (hunter) turned into a wildlife photographer. It is a journey of a man into Nilgiri hills on barefoot(because E.R.C.Davidar believes in primitive relationship between the barefoot walker and the nature), ,to explore the wild animals of the region.His wise eyes have discovered the decadence of ages old tribal culture under the influence of urban life. The cover is beautiful showing a lone Tarh on the cliff, the rare mountain goat what is going on extinct. His narration of wild dogs, elephants and hyenas will make your eyes moist with tears. Whispers from the Wild haunted me for days.

[Kavitha Elamvaluthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely a trip down the memory lanes of how exotic Nilgiris used to be... its amazing to know and read of how Davidar selflessly contributed to the mountains and its species. The minuscule details on behavior and body languages of animals, their way of lives, how they migrated, how they fed etc., can leave one longing to be in his shoes and experience the same.. thoroughly enjoyed every single page of this book.

[Abhiram · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best piece of wildlife writing I've read in a long long time. never wanted the book to end as davidar's stories, or rather experiences, are fascinating and enlightening at the same time. a gem of a person, may the tribe of such naturalists increase...

[Shridhar shenoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a mix of personal life and forest stories having many instances of typical south indian lifestyle and animal encounters.

[Dayanand Prabhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Memoir by a person who absolutely loves everything to with nature and wild. Sadly most of the world the author talks about is defrosted or is rapidly being a victim of progress.