Latest news with #Kipling
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
10 Anime series based on famous classic novels from Romeo and Juliet to Alice in Wonderland
Anime's artistic liberty enables timeless tales to grow beyond their original content. Whether remaining loyal to the source or entirely redefining the story, these adaptations honour literature in making it available to new audiences. To fans of the art of telling stories in all its mediums, these anime provide a potent reminder that magnificent stories are never lost—only learn new methods to continue. Some of the most fascinating anime productions borrow straight from the realm of classic literature—reinterpreting familiar characters and storylines in fresh ways. The adaptations series infuse new life into old tales, ranging from Shakespearean tragedies to nineteenth-century novels introducing them to fans who may never have heard of the original stories. Below are 10 of the most engaging anime based on classic literature, each with its own artistic twist. Anime series inspired by classic literature books Romeo x Juliet: A futuristic twist to Shakespeare's Tragic Romance Based on: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Source: Amazon, IMDb Instead of a true adaptation of the original play, Romeo x Juliet (2007) takes audience members to Neo-Verona—a city in the sky. Juliet is there reimagined as a sword-wielding heroine fighting against the corrupt Montague government. Though the underlying themes of love, sacrifice, and destiny remain, the series strays far from Shakespeare's original setting and plot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Odisha Mosquito Crisis Solved by Strange New Device (See How) Mosquito Eliminator Read More Undo This new version provides a fresh perspective, mixing drama, romance, and fantasy into a compelling blend. It is respectful to the original but makes it available and exciting to today's audiences. Kaiketsu Zorro: A brash anime twist on the masked hero Based on: The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley Source: Amazon, IMDb Kaiketsu Zorro revives the classic legend of the masked avenger with fresh vitality. With aerial acrobatics and fierce swordfighting, this take strives towards the shonen genre, infusing Zorro with a young sheen and anime flair. While it never gained widespread popularity in the West—mainly because of its Italian production roots—the anime has turned into a cult favorite in Europe and portions of Asia. The essentials of the de la Vega family and justice and rebellion themes continue to be integral parts of the story. The Jungle Book: The adventures of Mowgli: Closer to Kipling than Disney Based on: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Source: Amazon, IMDb This 1980s anime adaptation is praised for being more faithful to Kipling's work than Disney's interpretation. Unlike the Disney version, where Kaa is a villain, this anime keeps Kaa as Mowgli's ally, as in the original book. The series offers a richer, more emotionally engaging narrative. Despite having difficulty finding a Western audience because of its English dubbing several years after the completion of the series, it is a highly praised adaptation of Kipling's coming-of-age jungle adventure. Stories of little women: A warm retelling with period charm Based on: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Source: Amazon, IMDb BROADCAST in 1987, Tales of Little Women takes the March sisters from trials to triumphs in 19th-century America. With 48 episodes, it preserves much of Alcott's novel's emotional richness and complexity. The anime retains the timeless appeal of the sisters—Jo's spirited nature, Meg's maturity, Beth's sweetness, and Amy's drive—yet adds subtle anime stylistics of the late '80s. It's an informal, family-friendly adaptation that's respectful of its source material. Snow White with the Red Hair: A contemporary retelling of Independence Inspired by: Snow White by The Brothers Grimm Source: Amazon, IMDb Instead of rehashing the traditional fairy tale itself, Snow White with the Red Hair incorporates only the gist—beauty, niceness, and determination—and creates a completely new tale. Shirayuki, the heroine, excels as an herbalist who defies royalty and fate to be labeled by. The anime employs themes of agency, development, and love. This radical departure from the norm is possible to achieve a gripping fantasy drama with appeal to modern audiences. Treasure Island: A Pirate Adventure Classic in Anime Style Based on: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Source: Amazon, IMDb Treasure Island took the lead before One Piece made pirates fashionable in anime, retelling Stevenson's swashbuckling epic faithfully. The 1987 anime maintains the spirit of adventure from the novel with rich narrative and traditional character depictions—particularly Long John Silver's. Though more popular in Europe and Asia, the anime was English-dubbed and was a critical success. Its historical value and artistic decisions have paved the way for many contemporary pirate-themed anime. Moriarty the Patriot: A Villain-Centric Take on Sherlock Holmes Inspired by: Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Source: Amazon, IMDb Moriarty the Patriot turns the classic detective genre on its head by making James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' arch-rival, the main character. Moriarty is humanised to become an anti-hero who struggles against class oppression in Victorian England. It creates a psychological thriller with biting script and intriguing characters. It borrows from Doyle's universe, yet remakes its moral orientation—providing new perspectives to familiar characters and adding depth to the Holmesian universe. Alice in Wonderland: A Loyal and Whimsical Retelling Inspired by: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Source: Amazon, IMDb Of the numerous anime versions of Lewis Carroll's fantastical classic, the first one is unique in its faithfulness to the original. With 26 episodes, the anime brings out the strange appeal, poetic peculiarity, and flighty atmosphere of the source material. Unlike most other interpretations, it does stay faithful to the narrative, capturing Alice's trip through a fantasy landscape inhabited by strange characters. Though now almost forgotten, it still stands as a treasure for those who desire faithful literary transpositions in anime guise. The Swiss Family Robinson: A Survival Story of a Family-Friendly Kind Based on: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Source: Amazon, IMDb This anime adaptation of The Swiss Family Robinson adds a light, easy-going touch to the original survival tale. Defoe's novel had been serious and contemplative in tone, but the anime has a more wholesome, family-friendly tone for children to enjoy. The series maintains the central storyline of being a family stuck on an island and maintains their resourcefulness, teamwork, and strength. It was incredibly popular in Japan and is one of the more recognized literary adaptations of its time. Anne Shirley: Anime's Heartwarming Take on Anne of Green Gables Based on: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery Source: Amazon, IMDb The latest anime retelling of Anne of Green Gables, known as Anne Shirley, is a colorful and endearing adaptation of the red-haired heroine. With a soothing tone and breathtaking visuals, the show brings the imagination and emotional resonance of the book to life. Lauded for its faithful characterizations and considerate approach to the novel's most essential themes—such as self-discovery, imagination, and belongingness—this anime still enthralls viewers of all ages. Also Read | 10 Hollywood celebrities who love anime from Dragon Ball to Naruto including John Cena, Ariana Grande and more
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Britain must retain the means of making iron, says Sir Andrew Cook
Sir Andrew Cook is a leading British industrialist. 'Iron, Cold Iron, is the master of men all'. So reads Rudyard Kipling's memorable poem, and so might the steel men of Scunthorpe have recited with relief when learning their jobs had been saved from the Chinese wrecking ball. This steelworks, and its blast furnaces in particular, has been much in the news recently, the commentary fuelled more by ignorance and emotion than plain fact. For that fact is that a blast furnace, for all its association with the crag-jowelled ironmasters of nineteenth century England, is essential to any modern nation wishing to remain in what we still call the first world. Put aside the issues of pollution and climate change and consider instead the reality. You cannot make steel without iron, and you cannot make iron without a blast furnace. For iron does not exist naturally in its pure state. It is embedded within a brownish-coloured rock called iron ore. To extract the iron from the rock, the rock has first to be smelted. The term 'smelting', as you would expect, refers to melting plus something more. The 'something more' in this case is a chemical reaction which changes the fundamental composition of the material being smelted. In chemistry terms, the composition of the rock – iron ore – is changed into two separate materials, iron itself, and a residue which we call slag. This process can only be done in a blast furnace using coke, a fuel derived from coal, which provides both the heat and the carbon, the two being essential to the reaction. Iron ore plus carbon plus heat gives you iron plus slag. The slag goes mostly to waste – some is used to make roads. The iron is now ready to be made into steel. 'But can't you also make steel in an electric arc furnace? This is what we are told, and the arc furnace is so much greener. Isn't all that carbon dioxide that the blast furnace spews out avoided with the arc furnace?' I am sorry to disappoint you but the answer is 'No' on both counts. An electric arc furnace can only reprocess old scrap steel. Iron ore, being a rock, doesn't conduct electricity. Moreover, repeated recycling of old steel gradually de-purifies it, with levels of contaminants building up to a point where the steel cannot be used for certain essential purposes, notably military and medical use. So if you need pure steel, you need iron, and if you cannot supply the iron yourself, you have to import it. Someone, somewhere, has to use a blast furnace to make the iron from which is made the steel. Who is that someone? Well, if Britain has no blast furnaces, it has to be from across the English Channel, and possibly from a distant, and maybe potentially hostile part of the world. They can refuse to supply or charge us what they like. China uses its vast steel industry as a geo-political tool, its objective being to destroy those of weaker countries unwilling or unable to defend their own. Moreover, it is a known fact that the quality of Chinese steel cannot be trusted – just ask any construction worker. 'OK' you say, 'but what about the massive carbon footprint of the blast furnace?' Let there be no doubt, the blast furnace does emit a large quantity of carbon dioxide. But set this against three facts. Firstly, carbon dioxide is not a poison. It is an inert gas essential to plant growth. Without it, there is no food and the human race dies out. Secondly, if Britain does not have a blast furnace, the country's needs must be satisfied by someone else's. Global iron production indelibly emits a set quantity of CO2. The effect of Britain closing its blast furnaces on worldwide carbon emissions is precisely zero. And thirdly, don't get the idea the electric arc furnace is carbon-free. It also emits CO2, produced by its carbon electrodes, which steadily turn into gas as the melting process consumes them. As in most things, a balance must be struck. If Britain wishes to remain in the first rank of nations, it needs a steel industry, and this has to include at least one blast furnace. If it wishes to be self-sufficient in the manufacturing of steel products, essential to national security and well-being, it must retain the means of making iron. Britain has the skills, the equipment, and the essential coking coal from the Cumberland mine that has been short-sightedly refused planning permission by the authorities. Let common sense now overcome ignorance and emotion. The nation's security and industrial well-being are at stake.
Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Voices From the Graveyard: Rudyard Kipling's ‘Epitaphs of the War'
During World War I, more than 880,000 men fighting for Great Britain died, One of those who fell in this bloodbath of a war was John Kipling (1897–1915), the only son of writer and poet Rudyard Kipling and his American-born wife, Caroline Balestier. After both the Army and the Navy rejected John's attempts to enlist for reasons of shortsightedness, Kipling used his influence to place his son in the Army, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Irish Guards. In 1915, just after his 18th birthday, John died in the Battle of Loos in France. Though they conducted an extensive investigation, Kipling and his wife never located their son's body. Later, historians identified what they now believe to be his gravesite, though this issue remains a matter of debate. An ardent supporter of the Empire and the British military, the post-war Kipling was understandably more filled with grief than patriotism. 'As a public man, he became much more angry and bitter,' Portrait of Rudyard Kipling from the biography "Rudyard Kipling," 1895, by John Palmer. Public Domain Tombstone Verse From a Complicated Man During his lifetime and afterward, Rudyard Kipling's novels, stories, and verse have attracted both garlands and brickbats from critics. Though both sides generally recognize his command of the English language, his attackers have labeled him an imperialist, a jingoist, and a racist. These tags can easily be tailored to fit the poet. ' Unfortunately for his detractors, Kipling and his works are a jumble of contradictions. The imperialist penned 'The Man Who Would Be King,' which contains criticisms of the British Empire; the jingoist wrote 'Recessional,' a rebuke to boasting and chauvinistic flag-waving; the racist composed 'Gunga Din,' the poem about the Indian bhisti (water-carrier) who died a hero while saving the life of a British soldier and so won these words as his garland of honor: 'You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!' Related Stories 8/31/2022 9/8/2021 A similar contradiction occurs with 'Epitaphs of the War.' Kipling was an early and ardent supporter of the war against Germany. He helped popularize the use of 'Hun' to describe the Germans in his poem ' A 1915 photograph of John Kipling, from the Rudyard Kipling papers, University of Sussex Library, England. Public Domain The Boys of War Here, for instance, are two voices: one belonging to a parent, the other to a dead son. Whether Kipling intended these as personal reflections on John's death will always be subject to debate. Surely the father who dearly loved his son and spent so much time trying to learn more about his final hours and the location of his body was at least thinking of John when he composed these two epitaphs: My son was killed while laughing at some jest. I would I knew What it was, and it might serve me in a time when jests are few. I have slain none except my Mother. She (Blessing her slayer) died of grief for me. In several of these verses, Kipling reminds readers that many of the dead, like his own son, were just steps away from childhood. In ' On the first hour of my first day In the front trench I fell. (Children in boxes at a play Stand up to watch it well.) In ' Laughing through clouds, his milk-teeth still unshed, Cities and men he smote from overhead. His deaths delivered, he returned to play Childlike, with childish things now put away. A file photo of a WWI-era plane. Shutterstock Misfits In this cemetery of sorrows, Kipling also made room for those who didn't fit into this world of artillery, guns, and gas. These people were separated by culture or temperament from the ravenous machine of battle and death that was WWI. Here were two who lost their lives to bullets fired by their comrades: I could not look on death, which being known, Men led me to him, blindfold and alone. Faithless the watch that I kept; now I have none to keep. I was slain because I slept; now I am slain I sleep. Let no man reproach me again, whatever watch is unkept— I sleep because I am slain. They slew me because I slept. Outlanders Other troops from the Empire fought and died in this conflict. In ' Prometheus brought down fire to men. This brought up water. The Gods are jealous—now, as then, Giving no quarter. Nor did the man who had spent so many years of his early life in India forget their troops who died on the Western Front: The man in his own country prayed we know not to what Powers. We pray Them to reward him for his bravery in ours. A Vanishing of Differences Class prejudices in Great Britain were still sharply practiced before the war, but as Kipling noted in ' A. 'I was a Have.' B. 'I was a 'have-not.'' (Together.) 'What hast thou given which I gave not.' Some British officers brought a servant from home to the Western Front, termed a 'batman' from the game of cricket. Often the relationship between the two became stronger during this time of duress. In many cases, it blossomed into true appreciation and even allowed the officer to better lead the men in his command. We learn of this arrangement in ' We were together since the War began. He was my servant—and the better man. Relevance The epitaphs of these combatants remind us of the costs of war. Two other poems Kipling included point to one of the perennial reasons for these wars and the accompanying suffering. Here is Kipling giving voice to ' I could not dig; I dared not rob; Therefore I lied to please the mob. Now all my lies are proved untrue And I must face the men I slew. What tale shall serve me here among Mine angry and defrauded young? One of the better-known inscriptions in this graveyard is ' If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied. In the excellent notes and commentary on 'Epitaphs of the War' A cemetery employee walks between graves of American servicemen killed during WWI ahead of celebrations of the WWI centenary at the American Cemetery in Suresnes, on the outskirts of Paris, France, on Nov. 9, 2018. Vadim Ghirda/AP Kipling published 'Epitaphs of the War' in 1919. By then, the appalling casualty lists of the dead, wounded, and missing were known. Some called the Great War 'the war to end all wars.' They couldn't foresee what lay ahead: another world war, a multitude of lesser wars, and a century of communism, fascism, and the collapse of empires. Kipling laments the personal costs of war. His 'Epitaphs' should act as a warning to all those who call for bombs and bullets instead of searching out every available option for peace. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hovis and Kingsmill in merger talks as demand for sliced bread falls
Take-home volumes of sliced and wrapped bread like Kingsmill have fallen by about 15pc over the past five years - Phil Noble/Reuters Hovis and Kingsmill are exploring a merger as Britain's appetite for sliced bread wanes. Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of Kingsmill, confirmed on Tuesday that it was in talks with Endless, the private equity owner of Hovis, over a 'potential transaction' after reports said they were exploring a combination of the historic brands. ABF owns Kingsmill through its Allied Bakeries division, which was founded in 1935. Endless has owned Hovis, which was founded in 1890, since 2020, having acquired it from Premier Foods, the owner of Mr Kipling owner. The merger talks come as bakers like Kingsmill battle to stave off a big decline in demand for sliced bread amid changing dietary trends and a backlash against so-called ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Take-home volumes of sliced and wrapped bread have fallen by about 15pc in the past five years, according to Kantar data, while ABF warned it faced 'a very challenging market' as it confirmed talks. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: 'People are not buying as often, and they're not buying as much.' He said people were seeking out alternatives to toast at breakfast because of concerns over carbohydrates. 'People are thinking a lot more about protein these days, which lends itself to Greek yoghurt, eggs, all those kinds of things.' At the same time, almost half (49pc) of UK consumers said they considered most bread available in supermarkets to be ultra-processed, according to a recent survey by the data firm Mintel. The term UPF has no official definition but is broadly used to refer to foods with artificial ingredients such as emulsifiers and preservatives, which have been linked by some studies to health issues like obesity and heart disease. 'About a third of food and drink items are chosen for reasons of health, and there's been a lot of noise about UPFs, so people are considering it,' Mr McKevitt said. Bakers have also had to grapple with soaring costs in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent the price of wheat soaring and heaped pressure on their operations. Competition issues The family-owned bakery Warburtons is currently the biggest player in British bread with just over a third of the market. However, while sliced bread sales have slumped, the Bolton-based company has spent recent years boosting its production of other types of baked products such as wraps, pittas, bagels and crumpets so it is less reliant on sales of loaves. Warburtons' profits soared from £5.1m to £34.3m in 2023, its last available accounts show.
Scroll.in
30-04-2025
- Scroll.in
In a new book, a young naturalist writes about helping clear an invasive weed from Bandipur forest
Bandipur Tiger Reserve is smack dab in the middle of Karnataka's southern stretch of forests, part of the world's largest bastion of tigers and elephants. It is an important part of India's wild spaces. Deciduous trees cover its hills, with water holes and patches of scrub jungle scattered about. All the characters from Kipling's Jungle Book dwell here. If you want to see big animals, this is where you go. Bandipur was where I had my early 'awakening', my wild initiation of sorts. It was deep in this forest as a child that I stared into the eyes of a tiger and realised my interest in the natural world. A memory blazingly vivid in my head, it's the butterfly wingbeat that set off my passion for the wild. In every sense, Bandipur is a spiritual home for me. In May 2022, after my first year at university, I flew back to Bangalore, where I quickly packed my bags and set off for the tiger reserve. I caught the first bus leaving for Mysore, trusting that I'd figure out the rest of the journey. It was a trip I'd done countless times with my family. I hopped from bus to bus as the scenery changed from coconut trees and sunflower fields to thick, impenetrable bushes. Several hours later, I found myself at the gates of the reserve. I was greeted by Mahesha, a tall, stringy man in his thirties. He was Junglescapes' coordinator on the ground and my primary contact. We exchanged pleasantries and then headed off into the reserve in his jeep. I observed the jungle as we wove along the highway, a road whose every curve I knew. The NGO Junglescapes aimed to curb the invasive plant growth in the reserve. An invasive species isn't native to the region but has been introduced from outside. Having evolved in distinct environments. With a set of natural predators, they pose harm to the region they are introduced to, growing unchecked with nothing to stop them. Take lantana, for example, a plant native to Central and South America. When the British colonised India in the 18th century, they brought lantana with them as an ornamental plant. Apparently, the plants on the mainland weren't enough to decorate their gardens. This plant has no natural predators in India. And so, freed from the environmental constraints that kept it in check in its original habitat, the invader outcompeted Indian flora for essential resources such as sunlight, water, and nutrients. Over a few centuries, this fast-growing shrub enveloped the landscape. Such invasions have cascading effects on the health of the forest ecosystem. Native plants, which evolved to coexist with specific. In turn, this impacts native animals that depend on various plants for sustenance. Bandipur is one place where this growth of disastrous proportions has occurred. Junglescapes was intent on tackling this menace. They partnered with the local Jenu Kuruba tribals to clear out this weed. The tribals had resided in these jungles for generations, sharing their homes with elephants and tigers. Originally honey collectors ('Jenu' means honey in Kannada), they were relocated outside these forests by the authorities when reserves came under government protection. The Jenu Kurubas know the ways of the forest. The NGO hired them for their innate skills and provided them a means of employment, since they belong to a low economic stratum. We drove around a bit as Mahesha explained the gist of what they were doing and what my role would be. I was supposed to photograph the tribals and write about their work for a report. It was late when I arrived at the reserve, so we decided to begin work the next day. He dropped me at a local guest house and said he'd pick me up the following morning for the trip into the jungle. We cruised through the forest the next morning. The sky held every kind of cloud as the calls of peacocks rang in the air. Herds of spotted deer (also called chital) grazed by the roadside while a crested serpent eagle soared overhead. We drove along for a bit, parked on the side, and walked into the forest in full view of all the park visitors. Considering the rigid bureaucracy controlling access to India's tiger reserves, this was a rare and singular honour. I saw the people in passing vehicles press their curious faces to the glass as they watched. As a young boy, I'd read any literature I could find about Bandipur. Having a good grasp of its geography, I knew we were walking into the GS Betta range, marked by large hills on the right side of the main road. I recalled the books by the esteemed naturalist AJT Johnsingh, who studied dholes (Indian wild dogs) in Bandipur. Now, I was walking along the same landscape he described. It was an unrivalled joy to see the tales of my childhood come alive. After walking for a kilometre, we reached where the tribals were clearing the lantana for the day. There were around twenty of them, armed with sharp sickles and sturdy wooden poles. Since lantana forms a dense thicket, it must be hacked off at the base. Then, using the poles, the bush is heaved off the ground and turned upside down. It is too heavy and thorny to move with just your hands. I asked if I could help them. Some smirked as they gave me a sickle and a wooden stick. Soon, I could see why. Great skill and strength are needed to wield these tools. I had none. From how I cut the lantana, it looked like I would take out someone's eye. Embarrassed, I stopped and did what I was assigned: converse with the tribals and take photographs. The air grew heavy with a noxious odour from the felled lantana. A stench no words can capture. My respect for the Jenu Kurubas rose. Soon, a routine formed. In the mornings, Mahesha would pick me up for transfer to the forest, where I spent the day with the tribals, learning from them and documenting their work, and returning to the guest house by sundown. I repeated it the next day at a different spot in the reserve. These trips taught me more about the Jenu Kurubas and their interactions with the wild. The intimacy with which they understood the jungle is admirable. They read the forest like a pianist reads sheet music, where each leaf, pugmark, and snapped twig was interpreted with incredible insight. For them, walking was a way of knowing and understanding. During their work, they picked out subtle signs in nature and deduced a whole story from them. They could identify the tracks of gaur and elephant faintly impressed in the soil. They demonstrated how grass bent over when an animal passed through and how it will stay like that for a few hours before springing erect. They taught me to analyse a chital's alarm call and tell whether it was for a leopard or a tiger. For them, the tiniest bit of disturbed foliage revealed a saga: a sambar deer grazed here, a mongoose used this path, and a pack of wild dogs made their kill here a few days ago. These nuggets of wild knowledge, honed over generations, hold a value that can't be captured in words. Their mentorship meant more to me than I could ever tell them. When I wasn't walking in the jungle, I spent time in the nearby villages, documenting other activities the NGO was involved in. In the village of Mangala, I met Jenu Kuruba women extracting seeds of native trees from their pods for reforestation projects around the reserve. A merry crowd, they were very shy as I took their photographs. Next to the guest house I was staying at was a small food joint run by a Malayali, where I had my meals. Vinayan, the owner, was surprised to find that I had a connection with his state and that I spoke his language. He and I soon became friends, bonding over our common heritage. When we weren't observing the lantana removal, we surveyed sections of the reserve already cleared of the weeds. We'd go into a patch of forest and assess each area with a GPS, checking where the invasive species was trying to make a comeback. This helped the NGO plan their lantana elimination efforts for the coming months. I knew that my task was to document the NGO's work, but there was no way I could gain such deep access into this jungle and not look out for animals. So, during the surveys, while we focused on analysing the lantana growth, I eagerly scanned the bush for the presence of wildlife. I was in one of the prime habitats in the world; I wasn't going to squander this opportunity. But since we trekked through the jungle in the noon hours, most of the larger wildlife would retreat to cooler havens. Spotting a tiger or leopard on foot soon became a vain dream. The odd eagle, monitor lizard, or star tortoise would glance at us, but for the most part, the wildlife slipped by undetected. On a survey, we were lucky to see a herd of chital at close range. They stopped to look at us, their heads upright and ears cocked. They sensed us from a mile away. Our best bet was to stay far enough for them not to get spooked and skip away. The chital is probably the most common deer in the Indian wilds. It is brown all over with white spots and is about as dangerous as a feather. I spotted a couple of stags in the midst of the herd before me. Their antlers were still in velvet, indicating the mating season hadn't begun.
