About

Helloooo! Having grown up in Mumbai, India, I consider myself to be lost somewhere in the time and space between being a student and finding a professional community to identify with. An academic background in philosophy and (later) wildlife conservation has brought me to where I am today - more in awe of and delightfully disillusioned by everything around me. I also work with the Green Hub Project and Canopy Collective, based in Northeast India.

As a trained classical dancer, I wish to explore ways to connect the arts to experiences with nature. Outdoor adventures, philosophical discussions, and chasing sunsets are a few things that I always enjoy.

 

As with many others interested in and working for nature and wildlife, my engagement and fascination with nature began with the discovery of the beauty and wonder of birds. With the help of my father, I would look for unique birds in my backyard and try to identify them. However, as I developed an interest in the humanities, I was drawn to questions that linked wildlife and human society. What drives people's fascination towards nature? What compels them to want to save their environment? What are some cultural elements that make some groups more tolerant to wildlife than others? How must we introduce nature and wildlife to children? These were some questions I began with.

However, having been introduced to the world of Philosophy, I also began engaging with deeper questions: What gives nature and individual units of life inherent value? What are the different ways of experiencing nature - beyond the expected perceptions of it? How do socio-cultural experiences shape one's engagement with nature over millennia, and what would be the consequences of cultural change?

To assume that any of these questions have answers would be too ambitious, let alone the act of finding the answers to them. But conservation practice for me is to constantly interact with such questions, birthing even more.

This blog is a (sometimes up-to-date) representation of reflections, thoughts, and experiences I come across in my discovery of such questions and journey of finding answers to them.

Enjoying the view in Shangarh, Himachal Pradesh, with my favourite companion: Steiku. April 2019