Near the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh, night heralds a unique sight. As the skies turn inkier, the villagers prop themselves on machans (beds made on raised platforms), prepping for a long vigil. Their ears perk at the slightest sound. Spotting the culprit that’s devouring their crops is easy. Catching it isn’t.

The vigil is tiring. But, take a step back and you’ll see that the larger picture — miles of starry skies and rolling fields — is quite breathtaking. You might even be tempted to hop onto a machan yourself.

In fact, why don’t you?

At Madhya Pradesh’s Jamtara Wilderness Camp, this is precisely the idea behind the ‘Star Bed’. Here, you aren’t a tourist. You’re an audience for whom the crickets, owls, frogs, and jackals put on a show. Nature obliges their rhapsody with perfectly choreographed movements. But, as Amit Sankhala, a third-generation conservationist — Amit’s father, Pradeep and grandfather, Kailash, were pioneers of conservation and eco-tourism — point out, the highlight of the experience at Jamtara isn’t just its beauty.

“You’re also contributing to the empowerment of local farmers,” he tells The Better India.

Here, sustainability is hinged on a 95 percent dependence on local produce. “We believe in everything coming from within 40 sq km of the village. Only then will the communities see a direct benefit. Only then will they see tourism from a very different angle,” Amit underscores.

A look at the Sankhala lineage suggests that nature has always held a relatively reverential spot. And this love traces back to Kailash Sankhala.

Early childhood and expeditions in the jungle

Growing up, elephants and squirrels were Amit’s best friends. The destinations of choice for childhood vacations were national parks and sanctuaries, while his grandfather Kailash undertook research projects in and of the wild.

He shares with The Better India, “I’d go with him [Kailash] for weeks to Ranthambore [National Park in Rajasthan],” Amit has fond memories. To him, Kailash was the reason for his camaraderie with nature; India, meanwhile, remembers Kailash as being synonymous with Project Tiger.

It was around 1969 when Kailash blew the whistle on the plummeting tiger numbers. He wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the red flag. A survey by Bombay Natural History Society had also noted the dip, compelling the IUCN (International........

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