The Wildest Sport of All

‘I saw the grass shake and barely caught a glimpse of something yellow, a different shade than the dried clumped grass stems, that moved unmistakably towards me…’

Before tiger hunting was officially banned in the 1970s, the great jungles of India swarmed with shikaris indulging in what was once considered a popular ‘sport’. The Wildest Sport of All offers a first-hand account of the sport of tiger hunting in India. Narrated in the voice of an expert shikari, it takes the reader on an adventurous journey through the forests of the Kumaon and Garhwal mountains in north India.

Vivid descriptions of pastures and ponds, the cacophony of wild animals and the eerie silence of lonely nights come together to evoke the tiger as a creature of dread and deification in these regions. Featuring stories of narrow escapes, unsolved mysteries, patient wait for the sighting of tigers, and clever ways of conquering the regal beast, The Wildest Sport of All sets out not to glorify hunting but to recreate a time of lawful, discriminatory shikar that brought the shikari close to nature. Its gripping yet sensitive style, together with the ability to inspire visceral feelings without resorting to cheap thrills, make it stand out in the long and august tradition of shikar stories.