A national-level basketball player and an alumnus of St. Stephens College, Delhi, this eco-entrepreneur started life as a pharmaceuticals promoter, exporter and as the Chief Coordinator for the Rajasthan State Government and the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA). He now runs a real estate business that seeks to change the image of the sector by helping to improve the ecology of the geographies where his businesses are located. He met Bittu Sahgal at the Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge in Tadoba and spoke to him about how ensuring equitable justice to local communities could end up rewilding India.
WAS JAIPUR ALWAYS YOUR FAMILY’S BASE?
Today, I really do not even know where my ‘base’ is because I spend so much time travelling across India, but yes, I grew up in Jaipur where my physician father taught us that the measure of success was not your money, but how people’s lives were improved by their association with you. My mother is a homemaker and we always lived a life of purpose guided by principles that turned community into family.
YOUR FRIENDS AT ST. STEPHEN’S COLLEGE, DELHI, STILL REFER TO YOU AS THAT ‘AWESOME BASKETBALL PLAYER’. WHAT TURNED A NATIONAL-LEVEL SPORTSMAN INTO A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROFESSIONAL?
Even back then the wilderness and the forests held a special attraction. Naturally, after retiring from basketball I set up a business based on tourism in rural India with a steely determination to help protect wildlife, while also improving the condition of the communities upon whom the success of any such enterprise is ultimately dependent. In a sense, a marriage of good natural resource management and human resource development. I hasten to add, the people I ‘helped’ ended up helping me even more. I sleep well at night!
WAS THERE ANY PARTICULAR INCIDENT THAT PROPELLED YOU TOWARD WILDLIFE CONSERVATION?
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Sanctuary Asia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Sanctuary Asia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Why Children Are Needed To Help Save The World
On my very first day in India, I encountered many marvelous new customs not practiced in the United States, my home country. But the most curious by far involved trees. Here and there, alongside the roaring streets of Mumbai were rings of marigold wreathed around twisting banyan trunks like dried rays of afternoon sunlight…
Who's Who?
Fact: all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads! Let’s unpack this...
The Sea Raptor
The White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster is one of the most common raptors along the Indian coastline. Nevertheless, the sight of this soaring, broad-winged, white and black bird of prey is nothing less than majestic
Bringing Up Bob Hoots.
While we were visiting a friend’s farm in the village of Yelachetty, near Bandipur Tiger Reserve, we found Spotted Owlets nesting on the tiled roof… and one of the chicks on the kitchen floor!
Yala, Land Of The Leopard
Yala is not only Sri Lanka’s second-largest, but also the most-visited national park in the island nation.
The Wizards Of Oz!
Australia is not only a country, but also a continent. The land down under, cut-off from the rest of the world has an abundance of unique species of native animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants.
Scales & Tails
I was really excited and looking forward to the workshop on reptiles and amphibians at Nature’s Nest in Mollem, Goa, between June 24 and 26, 2017. It was my opportunity to meet renowned herpetologist Varad Giri.
Big, Brilliant And Endangered
When one thinks of elephants, the first word that probably comes to mind is BIG! But elephants, while they may be the largest creatures on land, are not just big and powerful, they’re wise and sensitive as well. Recent scientific studies have established that they are among the most intelligent animals in the world.
Earth Manners
Everyday habits matter! Let’s be kind to the planet, animals and ourselves!
World Scan
CHINA’S IVORY TOWNAn explosive investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency has revealed how criminal gangs originating from an obscure town in southern China have come to dominate the smuggling of ivory tusks poached from African elephants.
