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Born in Bastar, Ajai Kumar Reddy went to school
in Rajamundhry, Andhra Pradesh. Family pressures
forced him to give up his education so he could
assist his father in the timber business and
take care of his six hundred plus livestock. As
the area was infested with tigers, Reddy's
cattle were frequently attacked. Not one to keep
quiet in the face of such nuisance, he decided
to get rid of the menace and reluctantly got
into hunting.
Later, Reddy was offered the job of a
professional hunter with Allwyn Cooper Ltd. He
led his high profile clients on game safaris
through the jungles of India, entertaining
Indian Maharajas, US Governors and Senators,
leading businessmen, Indian and Hollywood
celebrities, among others. With his experience
and knowledge of the remote tribal dialects, he
quickly became a favorite hunter for Allwyn
Cooper clients.
Jay as Reddy is popularly called, shares his
thoughts, fears and triumphs with readers in
this well written and descriptive account of a
lifetime in pursuit of the man-eating tigers of
central India.
On a serious note, he reflects that he was never
cheated and let down by animals, even man-eating
animals, though he cannot say the same for human
beings.
Man Eating Tigers of Central India
Man-eating Tigers of Central India brings Ajai
Kumar Reddy's remote, roadless Bastar of the
1950s and 60s alive once more. Meandering
through secluded villages and sooty campsites,
to the sometimes mysterious and otherwise
riotous and noisy jungles abuzz with tigers,
leopards, pythons as well as their humble prey
like deer, wild pigs, and peafowl, this is far
more than just a narrative about killing
beautiful but deadly tigers. When a mellowing or
wounded tiger can no longer hunt other animals,
it begins to prey on innocent villagers,
sometimes dragging them from their huts at
night. Professional hunters, such as Reddy, were
then asked to step-in for the rescue act.
These pages from Reddy's memoirs carry the
ground realities of co-existence between man and
the majestic beast. In that scenario, the threat
looms large for both and it is difficult to
candidly express as to who is the hunted …
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