They are bright, they are bold, and they are indomitable. They are illustrators, writers, researchers, forest officers, entrepreneurs, educators, and more. Behind their dauntless demeanour are gentle, kind hearts that beat to the rhythm of nature. Meet these ten fantastic women of India’s wilds, fighting all odds to protect and preserve the wilderness for the generations to come.
Avni Gupta: Wildlife Science Communicator and Illustrator
Since childhood, Avni has been captivated by animal behaviour, leading her to complete a master’s degree in Wildlife Science. She also developed an intense passion for writing and art, and soon, she found a way to bridge all her interests for the cause she so cared for. She recognised a significant gap in the field of conservation – on-field research wasn’t effectively reaching the public. Motivated to bridge this divide, she entered the realm of science communication. This journey led to the creation of her venture, Kurious Ketupa, and collaborations with organisations like Wildlife SOS and WWF India. Today, she conveys intricate research findings to the wider audience through storytelling, illustrations, comics, social media, and audio-visual content, amplifying the impact of wildlife science in the public domain.
Bhavna Menon: Conservationist and Writer
One of the most powerful voices of the local communities, Bhavna Menon, is doing her best to give these communities the recognition they deserve. These are the people who spend their everyday lives with wild animals and suffer consequences of such co-habitation, like crop depredation, livestock losses, and occasional human casualties as well. Yet, these local communities tolerate the presence of wildlife due to their ingrained cultural values. Without such acceptance of wildlife by the local communities, our wildlife’s presence would have been restricted only to islands of protected areas. Bhavna’s heart throbs for these people. She uses the power of the pen to get the stories of these local communities out to the masses. For the last 14 years, Bhavna has also worked with various conservation stakeholders like the NGO Earth Focus Foundation, local forest departments, PashooPakshee livelihood solutions, and others in conservation outreach, capacity building, and the creation of alternate livelihoods for the local communities.
Indrani Chakraborty: Eco-entrepreneur
Indrani had a big dream, but to fulfill it, she had to take a huge risk. However, she was determined. So, she and her husband, Soumya Mukherji, bid adieu to their stable corporate careers in Delhi and took the plunge into the world of ecotourism, which was a complete stranger to them. Together, they founded the Svanir Wilderness Ecostay on a parcel of land in Odisha near the Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary. Today, it is one of the most eco-friendly accommodations in the country, implementing practices such as rainwater and greywater harvesting, organic waste composting, procuring locally sourced organic food for the guests, native tree plantation, and more. At Svanir, guests are also taken on curated tours to local wildlife attractions, creating greater awareness about these lesser-known natural wonders of Odisha. Indrani also employs a brigade of women from the local marginalised communities living in the vital elephant corridor of the region to work in her eco-stay. She and her entire family are determined to contribute to the cause of conservation by setting an example for others in the field of ecotourism.
Jhindan Prodhan: Wildlife rescuer, Community Educator
Jhindan is an inspiration to many young girls who are fighting many arduous battles in life. This 25-year-old is the youngest gram panchayat member in the Howrah District of West Bengal and is making excellent use of her position of power. Jhindan works actively in her area to uplift the condition of other women and also ensure the welfare of wildlife. Losing her mother to cancer as a child left a deep mark on her and thrust her into a life full of challenges, but they only made her stronger by the day. She completed her education with a Masters degree in Geography while also working for social causes to uplift the health and well-being of women in her area. Her heart also beats for wildlife. The area where she lives is a prime fishing cat habitat that also houses other species like jungle cats, civets, porcupines, monitor lizards, turtles, and different types of birds & snakes. Jhindan is one of a team of young people working to rescue and rehabilitate fishing cats, the state animal, and other wildlife from conflict situations. Her efforts have led to saving the lives of many of these lesser-known species. She also works hard to educate the people in her area about the need to save wildlife and abstain from hunting. As a gram panchayat member, Jhindan has also helped implement successful wildlife conservation actions in coordination with the local forest department in her area.
Jyoti Merawi: Nature Educator
Life has tested Jyoti many times, but she is one strong-willed woman determined to succeed. Hailing from a small village near the Kanha National Park, Jyoti lost her father at a very young age and witnessed her mother struggle hard to make ends meet. Despite the difficulties, her mother ensured that Jyoti and her sister received education so that they could have a secure future. Jyoti fulfilled her mother’s dreams by completing a B.Sc. degree and then started working as an education motivator. She never let anything stop her, even when there was a need for her to travel out of her village to Maharashtra; she travelled alone with her six-month-old child to ensure she did not miss out on any opportunity. Today, Jyoti serves the role of an educator with The Earth Focus Foundation, an NGO working to empower local communities with education and livelihoods and encourage a nature-based economy in the buffer area of the Kanha Tiger Reserve. She teaches hundreds of school-aged children from the villages in the area, using innovative teaching methods. She also imparts nature education to them. Her job is to ensure that these children of the local communities of Kanha grow up to be not just successfully employed but also become responsible, eco-conscious adults who care for the forest they call home.
Priya Singh: Wildlife Biologist
Priya is hard to find. She is as elusive as the places where she works in the remotest and most rugged locations in northeast India to save species left out of the spotlight. Interestingly, while Priya’s work area is in the extreme eastern reaches of the country, she grew up in the country’s west in Rajasthan on a working farm in a family with a strong relationship with the land and wildlife. According to her, it was not a purely romantic notion of wildlife but a constantly evolving relationship shaped by many factors- changing agricultural practices and land use, politics, and how wildlife laws were/are implemented. Her sense of conservation also evolved in parallel. In 2008, Priya completed her post-graduation in wildlife sciences and started working in the field of carnivore ecology. For almost a decade now, her work has mostly focused on mammalian communities in northeast India in landscapes that are challenging, both from a logistics perspective and their conservation complexities. Priya has contributed to scores of scientific publications related to species like marbled cats, clouded leopards, leopard cats, dholes, etc. She believes that conservation in the northeast requires an inclusive approach and the willingness to be open to ideas, with large-scale awareness generation and certain levels of enforcement to make conservation succeed.
Dr Reshma Pitale, Scientist
Since childhood, the world of Zoology has enchanted Reshma. Hence, she chose a career in wildlife research and delved into the intricate realm of taxonomic studies to identify species, unravel their unique features, and decipher their habitats. Once, while walking along the seashore in Mumbai, she met a mysterious stranger, a wiggly little worm. Reshma’s curiosity led her to work on identifying the worm, and it turned out that it hadn’t been officially reported in India for 112 years! Her stint with the seashore in Mumbai was not, however, limited to her encounter with this tiny being. Today, she works as a scientist at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to conserve the Thane-Sewri seascape, which is critical for waders and the lakhs of pink flamingos that visit the megacity of Mumbai. She leads a team that studies the seasonal dynamics of microscopic mudflat-dwelling organisms such as worms, shells, and mussels. The research is vital to understanding the changes and existing threats in the habitats inhabited by such organisms, as maintaining the sanctity of such habitats is vital to supporting the many species of resident and migratory birds of Mumbai.
Dr Sangeeta Rajgir, Ornithologist
She is a familiar face among bird lovers of Bhopal. As the Member Secretary of the Bhopal Birds Conservation Society (BBCS), Sangeeta serves as the medium of connection between existing and potential birders and the spectacular avifauna of Bhopal and surrounding areas. Sangeeta’s deep passion for birds was triggered while doing her PhD on birds of Vanvihar National Park. Since then, there has been no looking back. She has organised bird-watching camps for thousands of people in the past 18 years, published more than 30 research papers related to birds in national and international journals, and trained communities based near national parks, sanctuaries, ecotourism destinations and Ramsar sites. Her work in bird conservation has also earned her several felicitations and awards. Bhopal’s birds are indeed fortunate to have such a dedicated ornithologist as their spokesperson.
Savini Sonavaria, Eco-entrepreneur
Savini, an engineer by education, left her steady career in the corporate world and took a dive into the unknown to establish PashooPakshee livelihood solutions. PashooPakshee collaborates with marginal and tribal communities living near the periphery of protected forests and wildlife reserves to provide them with a platform to sell their handcrafted goods and other merchandise to buyers. Providing livelihood to these communities helps them wean off from using forest resources, helping both people and wildlife. Thus, through PashooPakshee, Savini, an ardent nature lover, fulfills her desire to give back to nature. With a large section of these community members being women, Savini’s PashooPakshee also helps empower them. The women from the organisation’s craft centres are now contributing more than 25 to 30% to their annual family income. Thus, Savini’s PashooPakshee is a win-win situation for both communities and forests.
Sita Jamra: Forest Officer
Kindness and courage are her two primary weapons to fight numerous challenges to protect Mother Nature. As a girl from a tribal family, Sita grew up in the heart of nature and fell in love with the wilderness at a young age. She dreamed of becoming a forest officer someday to be able to serve her beloved Mother Nature. Her dreams turned into reality when she cracked the forest service exams. Today, she is serving as a Range Officer in the famous Kanha Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh. Her everyday work includes leading her team of forest department staff to rescue wildlife, nab poachers, manage human-wildlife conflict situations, and more. Her job is riddled with difficulties, sometimes posing a danger to her life as well, but nothing deters her from performing her duties. At home, she is a loving mother of two, and outside home, in addition to protecting the forest, she also works with the youth and women of local communities through various projects to empower them with education and employment opportunities. Her work for these people has helped her garner their support in the conservation work done by the forest department.
While these real-life superheroes work relentlessly to ensure a secure and happy future for us, we must also support and actively participate in their work. For conservation to succeed, we all need to participate in our own unique ways, and these incredible women are showing us how to do so.
Writer: Dr. Oishimaya Sen Nag
Author: Jaun Shahi
Journalist, Sub-Editor, Travellers’ World Jaun is a soft-spoken and gentle soul who thrives as a Journalist with his exceptional observation skills and an eye for intricate details. He is a true multitasker who efficiently handles various tasks and always brings a professional approach to everything he does. His genuine team spirit makes him an integral part of the TW family, as he consistently collaborates and supports his colleagues.
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