Fin Feather and Field (Hardcover)

To some extent, the title Fin Feather and Field is self-explanatory. Fin is more than fishing; it is an excuse to be outdoors, not just to kill but to observe nature from diverse angles. Feather is not just game-bird shooting but watching and identifying birds, rearing semi-tame peacocks and gray partridges till ready to fly, named Mustapha, Mr. Onion, and Paloma. Field involves travel, monuments and wild life sanctuaries, tracking Tahr in the Nilgiris and Bharal in snowbound North Sikkim. It is horse riding, playing golf, trekking, and mountain climbing. It is savoring a myriad cultures across India and some abroad; inviting misadventure are part of Field. Autobiographical glimpses and vignettes of army lifestyle find small nooks here and there. In short, Fin Feather and Field is a celebration of the life given and enjoyed to the hilt through over forty years, with minds open to wonder, learning, never abandoning the mindfulness of "feeling" the aura of strangers and places. Some of the best years lived in tribal India on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, braving dacoits and fearful gun-wielding Naxalites, are memorable parts of Field.