On the lion's trail

The Story of Asia's Lions by Divyabhanusinh; Marg Publications, Mumbai, 2005; pages 260, Rs.1,850 (hardbound).

WILDLIFE history is a nascent discipline in India. To document the history of a species, one should have not only adequate field experience but also the rigorous discipline of a historian. That the author of this book, Divyabhanusinh, has these qualities is amply demonstrated in this work. Earlier, he built up a formidable reputation as a wildlife historian with his book End of a Trail: The Cheetah in India (1995). Now we have this sparkling new book on the Asiatic lion, in which he builds on his experience of research and surpasses his earlier work. If the tiger is the national animal of India, the lion gets pride of place in the national emblem, the lion capital. While the tiger is found in a few other countries, the Asiatic lion is found only in India, that too just in one small pocket.

The Asiatic lion once roamed the vast stretches of the scrub jungle, from West Asia to peninsular India. In the Biblical story of Daniel, the lions that were in the den into which the prophet was thrown were of the Asiatic variety. But by the time of the Crusades in the late 11th century, they had disappeared from the Holy Land. Loss of habitat and hunting grounds had destroyed them all except for a relic population residing in the Gir forests of Gujarat. This book traces the history of the Asiatic lion and discusses issues connected with its ecology and survival.

Good history calls for a careful identification of sources. In collecting material on this subject, the author has searched archives in Europe such as the Victoria Albert Museum, London, as well as in India such as the governmental archives and the records of the princely states. Divyabhanusinh's own lineage (he hails from a Gujarat princely family) has helped him in this effort. In addition to official reports and studies by wildlife biologists, the author delves into the realm of art history to trace the depiction of lions in paintings and sculptures.

To glean information on lions, he examines miniature paintings of different schools. For instance, a 17th century Persian painting featuring a tame lion used for hunting boar is pointed out as "the only record in the public domain of such a sport". In Indian historiography, instances of the use of visuals as a source of information are rather rare. Traditionally, sculpture and painting are relegated to the realm of art history.

While the author looks at literary evidence in Sanskrit, for instance in the Rig Veda, he has neglected another valuable source, the literature of an equally ancient language, Tamil. There are at least nine terms in Tamil to denote lion. There are references to the lion in Tirukkural and quite a few in Purananooru (circa second to fourth century A.D.) "A black throated male (bird) living in the eaves/of a house eats rice from the paddy grown in the broad field/while resting in his nest made of shavings from the lute strings of bards and hair of lions." The lion lives in Tamil proverbs. Do these indicate that the lion once inhabited the plains of southern India?

However, the author does refer to the depiction of the lion in Pallava sculptures in Mamallapuram, not far from Chennai. The recumbent lion was almost a Pallava signature. In fact this aspect - depiction of lions in sculpture - has not been covered adequately in the book. Arguably, the most magnificent depiction of the lion in Indian plastic art is the one in the Mahishasuramardhini panel. This and the lions in Arjuna's Penance, also in Mamallapuram, should have found a mention here. In the Rashtrakuta sculptures, the lion figures frequently. The lion is an important symbol in Jain iconography, too, but this has not received much attention from the author.

While dealing with the lion census, or rather, estimate, the author handles an important issue - of the methods to be adopted in estimating the population of a predator such as the lion. He observes that the Forest Department and government agencies must turn to new methods of census. This is relevant in the light of the controversy over the tiger population. The Forest Department has been distancing itself from wildlife researchers and refusing to learn from their fieldwork. The result is for us to see.

In the 1930s, only 150 lions were left in the Gir. The foresight of some British administrators and the efforts of at least two Nawabs of Junagadh saved these cats from extinction. Now, the 327 lions left in Asia are in one sanctuary (Gir), which means they are perilously close to extinction. Any natural disaster or an epidemic can wipe out the entire population. Moves have been afoot to find an alternative habitat for these lions. An expert team from the Wildlife Institute of India has identified a place, the Kuno wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. But the Gujarat government is not willing to part with any lion in Gir. (In the 1950s, naturalist M. Krishnan, quite rightly, it appears, lamented the fact that forests was a State subject.)

There are also extracts from hunting records, 73 in all. Evidently, hunting has been one of the main reasons for the decimation of this magnificent cat, though the author does not confront this issue from that angle. He, however, has a good word for the British administrator H.D. Rendall who ensured that not a single lion was shot during his period. On the other hand, even after Independence, the rulers of many princely states went about shooting lions. In a country where there are people ready to shoot a tiger, even if it is the last one, the evil effects of hunting should be pointed out.

The photographs, many of which have been taken by the author, admirably support the narrative. The pictures of people of the Gir area, including the Sidis of African origin, all add value to the book. Photographs of two great lovers of wildlife, Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, visiting Gir at different times are featured. But for them India would have lost much of its wildlife.

The author peppers his book with interesting facts concerning the lion - such as the note on India's national emblem and the letter of Lord Curzon on conservation. That there is no record of the decision to make the lion capital the national emblem comes as an amazing piece of information.

Divyabhanusinh writes in an unpretentious and accessible style that is so endearing. The well-documented book is a lively and readable account of the dramatic struggle for existence of the Asiatic lions.

The details of the sources referred to and the exhaustive bibliography will open new areas of study and the index will help immensely in the utilisation of the book. This is an impressively produced book in which the form matches the contents. Naju Hirani has designed the book imaginatively, and the 160 photographs and maps have been laid out in a pleasing manner. All the illustrations, including miniatures, have been reproduced with great fidelity.

The Story of Asia's Lions is a celebration of a wildlife heritage of Asia that will be treasured in the years to come. It is also an alarm call to civil society and to the Government of India to save what is left of this legacy - not just the lion, but along with it all the wonderful creatures of the Indian wilderness.