Intro

For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to be left alone to marvel at nature. I still pretty much want to do just that. As an adult, I realized that unravelling the mysteries of the natural world was my calling. Through all the education, training, and certifications I undertook, all I am doing is merely trying varied methods to explain, document, and preserve what we humans perceive as the natural world. My biggest success is that for a career, I aim to achieve nothing more, nothing less.

HowIGotHere

• I bought my first camera (a Nikon Coolpix) at 17, with money I saved over two years. It had a macro mode, which I used all the time, to painfully capture tiny insects in my backyard.
• I discovered my calling for wildlife when I joined my first ever project, as a Research assistant, to assess the floral vegetation of Gujarat. My professor handed me my first DSLR. That’s how I first visited all protected areas of Gujarat and spent all my spare time photographing birds.
• I saved each rupee that I earned from this project and bought my first DSLR (Canon 500D). I carried it all through my further studies.
• This experience gave me the clarity that I needed: Soon, I changed careers and did completed my graduation in Zoology (Hons) and thereafter a postgraduation in Zoology.
• This one decision has led me to my chosen career.

Trivia

• Raised in Vadodara, Gujarat, I’ve travelled through, lived, or worked in most parts of India.
• I've been to 5 countries. Not a flex; but, I plan to catch up.
• I’ve driven my Thar all over India, often solo.
• I once drove across Nepal to Arunachal Pradesh with my (then) friend, now partner.

More Trivia

• I sit hours trying to find a show or a movie to watch. Soon, I give up and conclude there’s nothing good out there.
• I love tea, pure Indian masala tea.

IDreamOf

• Own a caravan; travel the world with my partner.
• Own a house on the beach with mountains right in the backyard.
• Leave the planet knowing I spent a lifetime working for conservation.