Chapter One: A Gift From Appa
I stare at the misty mountains through the window. The bus stops and I snap a picture to send to Amma.
HONK! HONK!
The sound of the horn makes Appa jolt awake and stretch.
He nudges me with his elbow. “We’re almost there!”
My stomach rumbles with anxiety. I’m on my way to the tiger reserves in the mountains of South India to see endangered animals this weekend.
I was one of fifty-two applicants from my district who wrote an essay about why we wanted to be a junior ranger at the reserve.
I’m not the best student when it comes to exams. But I would do anything to become a nature conservationist when I grow up. So I wrote about how much I already knew about Camp Kurinji: that it has more than just tigers—that it is home to many endangered animals such as the lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri tahr, the Malabar giant squirrel, the sambar deer, and many others. I also wrote that among the twenty-five hundred species of flowers in the reserve, I wanted to see the special kurinji, which blooms only once every twelve years. The last time these flowers bloomed was before I was born, but they will be blooming again this year!
I have never won anything, so I was excited when they announced that my essay had received first prize—a trip to the reserve! A boy from my district, Y.V.S. Arjun, won second place, which means he will be visiting as a junior ranger, too. Arjun is three years older than me. There are also two other students from another district joining us for the camp.
I can’t wait to tell my cousins Priya and Kamal all about Camp Kurinji the next time I call them.
Priya and Kamal have traveled all over the world, but they live in Seattle. I met them for the first time when they visited India earlier this year and we celebrated Pongal together. It took a while for us to get to know each other, but when Priya called me the GHOAT—greatest host of all time—I smiled from ear to ear. It had been hard to say goodbye to them at the end of the visit, but we chat and email a lot. Today I’m wearing the jeans Priya gave me. They’re blue like the sky this evening.
Now here I am, excited to explore the wilderness, a few hours away from my village, Pori. We’ve already had quite the adventure to get here: a train ride, then a bus ride and—when that bus broke down—a rickshaw ride, and then another bus ride.
HON-N-N-KK! HON-N-K H-HON-N-K!
The bus screeches to a stop at the entrance to the tiger reserve.
“We’re here,” Appa says. “Come on, kanna!”
I grab my backpack and we get off the bus. The first thing I see is the sign for the tiger reserve. The pillar displays a tiger resting, like it’s watching out for visitors. Then I notice the blue and violet flowers that cover the mountains.
“The kurinji flowers!” I exclaim.
“How lucky we are to get to see them! These flowers bloom so rarely,” Appa says.
“Yes!” I nod. “And since the seeds are fire-resistant, they protect these mountains from forest fires, too.”
Appa puts his arm over my shoulder. “Good research! No wonder you won the contest!”
It’s cooler here than it is in Pori. A light breeze filters through the trees and ruffles my hair. After the bus engine turns off, I hear an orchestra of chirps, squeals, and barks.
Half a dozen peacocks and peahens roam around the entrance. One of the peacocks unfurls his feathers and gives us a colorful display.
“Beautiful,” Appa says.
“Not a tiger, though,” I say.
Appa hugs me tightly. “Patience, kanna. You’re visiting a vast area that spans sixteen hundred square kilometers. To spot a tiger in this dense jungle is not going to be easy, especially when there are so few of them. The creatures will show themselves if and when they want to be seen.”
“I wish there were more tigers here,” I say.
“Hopefully there will be more one day,” Appa replies. “If we protect the ones we have left.”
I close my eyes and send a wish to the sky to see at least one tiger.
When I open them, I see a woman in a ranger’s uniform standing beside a truck with caged windows. She’s holding a placard that says welcome to camp kurinji in English, Tamil, and Malayalam.
The woman has a big, round red kungumam on her forehead. Her kajal-lined eyes glint against the color of her skin, as brown as mine.
“Welcome to Camp Kurinji!” She sets down the sign and walks toward me.
I join my palms together. “Vanakkam!”
“Vanakkam! You must be V. Malar.” She gives me a big hug along with the greeting. “I’m Selvi, your camp counselor and senior forest ranger. People here call me Selvi madam.”
I feel an instant connection to Selvi madam. She has a bright smile, which reminds me of Amma’s. Her long hair is braided and tied into a bun at the back. She greets Appa and then walks back to the truck while he and I say goodbye.
“I brought you something,” Appa says. He puts his backpack on the ground and digs through it. “It’s somewhere in here.”
He looks up at me and smiles. “Found it.”
I grin and close my eyes. He pulls my arm forward and places something on my palm.
“Ready, one . . . two . . . three . . . joot!”
I open my eyes and beam. “Aaha!” I yell with joy.
“Sunglasses that light up! See?”
He presses a button, and the pink frames flash with bright lights.
The bus driver starts the engine.
“Just four days and three nights.” Appa kisses my forehead and holds my hands. For once, I don’t mind his beard poking my face. “Do you remember what you should do when you want to feel brave?”
I choke on my words.
Appa nudges me. “Let’s say it together, kanna.”
We shout “Abhaya! Abhaya! Abhaya!” and let our voices echo in the fresh forest air.
Repeating the name of the fearless warrior son of the god Siva with my dad makes my heart feel lighter.
“I’ll miss you,” I tell him.
“Malar,” Appa says. “Remember, you are like these mountains—tough and long-standing—and you’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry, Appa,” I say. “I’m going to be the GROAT!”
“The GROAT?”
“The Greatest Ranger of All Time!”
Appa laughs and gives me a hug.
HON-N-N-KK! HON-N-K H-HON-N-K!
“Time to go. Be brave. Make friends.” He gets back on the bus.
I wave at him until the bus disappears from my sight.
I have never spent the night away from my parents, but Amma said this is a good time to experience my first sleep away from home and learn how to do things on my own. If I prove I’m the GROAT, maybe I can become a nature conservationist one day!
Copyright © 2025 by Suma Subramaniam; illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
