Call of the Jungle: Journey of an IFS Officer

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The 'Call of the Jungle-Journey of an IFS officer', traces the career journey of a lady officer of the Indian Forest Service. This is a work of fiction, though based on actual exploits of IFS officers. It also has Memoirs from five serving officers of the Indian Forest Service, including Abharna IFS, on whom the movie Sherni was made.

As readers embark on a vivid exploration of diverse ecosystems, including iconic tiger reserves and lesser-known sanctuaries, they encounter narratives that delve into the tiger corridor, wildlife rescue, timber smuggling, and more. The author's personal experiences infuse the book with authenticity and passion, providing a rare glimpse into the life of forest officers and their enduring commitment. The story covers a wide canvas and the range includes the breathtaking jungles of the Himalayan Terai, the majestic Ranthambor Tiger Reserve, the mystical Nallamalla forests and the deep waters of the sea near Andamans.

"Call of the Jungle' not only captures the thrill of the wild, but delves deeper into the intricate web of conservation efforts, human-animal conflicts, and the delicate balance between human livelihoods and the preservation of natural habitats.

Dr Ruchi Singh is a passionate wild life explorer and Tiger enthusiast. For the last 28 years, she has extensively toured the Indian jungles along with her husband Anoop Singh, who is an officer of the Indian Forest Service.

Hailing from Prayagraj, Dr Singh, an alumnus of St Mary's Convent, is a topper in History from the University of Allahabad, and UGC NET qualified. She has done her Doctoral research on the Sacred Complex of Prayag and Post doctoral study on Buddhist Studies. Dr Singh has taught at the University of Hyderabad, and made 2 important archaeological discoveries- a 1300 year old Chalukyan temple at Macherla, AP, and a 2000 year old Buddhist stupa at Kondaveedu, AP. She has published four academic books, her book on Kumbha Mela being widely acclaimed. She was recognised as an Expert on Kumbh Mela by ICSSR (Indian Council for Social Science Research).

Ruchi is a Masters Swimming Champion, having won many Gold Medals in swimming in Telangana.

The wilds in India have been romanticized for long. The East India Company minion, looked for outlets for recreation in the hot, humid land and being more affluent than the average native, could hire locals to port him and his stuff to wild areas for coursing, hunting and such similar pursuits. With the dawn of the Raj, outdoor pursuits, which in a very Caucasian way of speaking, were symbolic of manhood, were 'officer like' became more common. Game fishing, fowling, coursing, pigsticking and hunting from elephant back or from a machan were very 'British' in nature. The ruling class in India, the princely houses too had a long tradition of shikar. It was in the wilderness that often that the elite of the east and the serving class from the west could reach a common denominator.

Forestry in its formal morph started with the British Raj taking over. Its objective was rather materialistic timber and revenues from logging. Hunting became more regulated as the understanding of the importance of conserving 'game-species' dawned. One of the better outcomes of Colonial rule was a large amount of literature, some scientific and some popular interest, which was created, and even today serve as points of reference. Shikar, till the 1970s was a source of revenue for a newly fledged nation. Logging too was a practice Railways, shipping, housing and other infrastructure needed timber. The forests kept on being managed by exclusion. It was the 1980s and beyond when the science about the environment and need for conservation of natural resources became more and more evident. Slowly, exploitative use of forest resources became something to be frowned upon.

There have been foresters who have penned their memoirs. There have been foresters who were travelling with bulky cameras. There were scientists, explorers and shikaris who wrote things down. Painters and artistes whose artwork are fascinating. This trend continued post-independence. While the more popular books are either on adventure and exploration, the more serious ones have been in a scientific or economic backdrop. Bucking this trend, Ruchi Singh shares her point of view as the wife of a forester. Brought up in the Gangetic plains, with structured notions about food, culture, language, after her marriage Ruchi landed up in Andhra Pradesh (the erstwhile undivided state). She shares through the eyes of her character, a young woman forest officer, how she interacts with locals, their traditions, their social and political turmoil. Naomi, starts off like most Probationers of the Indian Forest Service do, clueless about what they are getting into, and takes those tentative steps as Sub-divisional Officer, and grows in confidence and skills, learns to be a leader as she grows in service.

My tryst with the forests began when I was seven or eight years old. My father was posted as Superintendent of Police in Gorakhpur district, of Uttar Pradesh, and I would often go into the dense jungles of the Himalayan Terai with him. There are many nostalgic warm memories of staying in remote Forest Rest Houses, being enthralled by the sights and sounds of the Indian jungle, and also getting to hear a lot of interesting jungle lore. It was at the Forest Rest House at Basuli in Gorakhpur district that I chanced upon a book by Jim Corbett, which led to love and passion for forests and wildlife, which now brinks to the point of obsession. The concept of jungle safaris was not popular then, but I would enjoy the jungle trips with my father, visit ancient lesser-known shrines deep in the forest, and just soak in the tranquil beauty of the serene green jungle. There were numerous instances of brushes with wild animals, which would leave me thrilled to the core. We never harmed them, and they would also leave us alone. I still remember that we had stayed in a remote Forest Rest House near Bhainsalotan in Nepal, where my father had gone for a border meeting with Nepal Police, and the duty sentry had told us that in the night, a bear had scratched for a long time on the window of the Forest Rest House where we were staying, only to be chased away by a wandering tiger, and in the morning, we had examined their pug marks with much excitement.