India, Jan. 7 -- The preface to Aly Rashid's Tales From The Bush, that also includes writing from a range of eminent contributors, begins with the author's memories of Satpura and of exploring the Churna range of the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary as a child in the early 1990s. "Much of my childhood was spent exploring wild places with my family, but Satpura always held a special place in my heart," says Rashid, who belongs to Bhopal's erstwhile royal family.

When we travelled into the Satpura Tiger Reserve last October, long-billed vultures soared above the lush foliage of banyan, teak, anjan, jamun, kusum, and mahua trees. White-rumped shama, kingfishers, and blue-plumed Asian paradise flycatchers abound in this verdant landscape that is a ha...