SAVAJ Book Takes Readers Deep into the Untold Stories of Gir’s Wild Heart

Junagadh | Gujarat — In the dry deciduous forests of western India, where rugged hills merge into teak and acacia woodlands, survives one of the world’s most remarkable conservation success stories—the Asiatic lion of Gir. While this iconic landscape has long drawn scientists, photographers and wildlife enthusiasts, its deeper, less visible narratives have rarely found sustained documentation. SAVAJ, a newly released book from India, seeks to fill that gap by offering an immersive and nuanced account of Gir Forest beyond its most celebrated symbol.

Launched in Junagadh, the gateway to Gir Forest, SAVAJ is a curated collection of wildlife narratives that explore the ecological, behavioural and human dimensions of India’s only lion habitat. The book is published by Bhaktakavi Narsinh Mehta University, Junagadh, and produced by its Centre of Excellence for Wildlife and Conservation Studies. Edited by senior journalist and author Dhirubhai Purohit, the publication reflects decades of on-ground reporting and observation rooted in the Gir region.

The book release coincided with a one-day academic gathering that brought together wildlife experts, researchers and students from across Gujarat. Discussions during the event centred on integrating Indian knowledge systems with modern conservation practices—an approach that SAVAJ itself embodies by blending scientific understanding with field observation and narrative storytelling.

According to the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Pratapsinh Chauhan, documenting Gir demands depth and patience. “When a journalist chooses to engage with wildlife beyond the visible and the familiar, especially in a landscape as complex as Gir, the result is a rare and meaningful record,” he said at the launch.

What sets SAVAJ apart is its collective authorship. The book brings together contributions from seven to eight seasoned wildlife researchers, conservationists and photographers, each offering perspectives shaped by years spent in the forest. Together, their voices create a multidimensional portrait of Gir—moving beyond lions to include birds, reptiles, forest ecology and the everyday realities of conservation work.

Several chapters focus on the social behaviour and territorial dynamics of Asiatic lions, a species once pushed to the brink of extinction and now cautiously recovering. Other sections highlight Gir’s rich avifauna and reptilian life—often overshadowed in lion-centric narratives—underscoring the forest’s ecological complexity.

Equally important is the attention given to the Gujarat Forest Department’s long-term conservation efforts. Rather than presenting conservation as an abstract ideal, SAVAJ documents it as a continuous, on-ground process involving vigilance, conflict management and coexistence with local communities.

Wildlife photographer and contributor Alfez Bhatti, whose images appear on both the cover and back cover of the book, describes SAVAJ as a product of patience. “Projects like this take years,” Bhatti said. “Many moments cannot be planned—they happen once, if at all. Preserving them in a book allows these fleeting realities to reach people far beyond the forest.”