SARANG

Mr. Caras' first attempt at fiction, although larding each monkey and mahout in East Pakistan with unabashed sentiment, does echo the author's impressive knowledge and understanding of wild animals and exotic terrain, hitherto revealed in his naturalist studies. This is the story of the Barclay family Glenn, Liz and ten-year-old daughter Pam--who journey to East Pakistan because of Glenn's work as agriculture consultant for the U.N. While Glenn forges forth with his project of training elephants for work as domestic farm animals, Pam becomes fast friends with Khoka, a blind boy. Together they raise a tiger cub, Sarang, who becomes Khoka's ""Seeing Eye."" When village pressure forces them to give up the tiger, Khoka and Pam journey to the Shadhoobaba, a wise man, who tells them that Sarang must be freed to be King of the forest, and Khoka must wait for a miracle for the restoration of his sight. A fateful adventure in a cave, Khoka's search for rescue, a strange wild tiger, a storm, and Khoka has his miracle. In spite of the elementary characterizations and dialogue, there are enough elephants, tigers, cobras and scenic prospects to keep the undemanding animal lover purring. Sarang-wrapped treacle, but perhaps cinema-bound.