India, Sept. 26 -- Originally written in Marathi as Ek Hoti Maya, journalist-turned-conservation communicator Anant Sonawane's Maya: The Biography of a Tiger traces the 11-year journey of the most famous tigress of Maharashtra's Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve with gentle care, even as it resists the urge to deify her or turn her into a man-eating monster.

Born in 2010, Maya was orphaned early. Yet, even before her mother Leela's untimely death, the forest staff and tourists had taken a liking to this little, spunky cub. She would, out of curiosity, check out safari jeeps up close, giving tourists plenty of opportunity to photograph her. Her unusually friendly and relaxed encounters made her the darling of the reserve, and soon enough touri...