“We are in an environmental dark zone”: Surya Ramachandran
26 January 2021 — Written by Reyan Mishra
Netra Nagrajan, a Beyond 8 learner had an opportunity to speak with Surya Ramachandran on the subject of passion in the form of naturalism. Surya Ramachandran is naturalist, author, and an expedition leader who has recently set up wildlife lodges in Ladakh. His latest published work “Photographic Field Guide to Wildlife of South India” is being hailed as one of its kind. Surya’s book takes us through various kinds of wildlife found in the southern region of India from land-strolling reptiles to sky-claiming birds. Here are interesting excerpts:
Netra: What inspired you to make a transition in your career from engineering to naturalism?
Ramachandran: As far as I can remember, I have always had an affinity towards wildlife. Every city I visited with my parents, had to include zoos as part of the bucket list. I even joined a few nature clubs but I didn’t have a clear career choice. The transition happened when I travelled to Africa and went on a safari - that’s where I met a naturalist for the first time and I wanted to be like him. He showed us places, introduced us to indigenous flora and fauna and he made my holiday much more meaningful with the deep insights he shared. Today I can easily credit him with influencing me into what I’m today.
Netra: What does a typical day in your life as an expedition guide look like?
Surya: Well, it may seem fancy that I’m in the wild showing people around. Fundamentally, it’s a lot of things that I’m supposed to do in my job. Our jobs on a daily basis are quite dependent on who our guests are and what they want. The day starts at 4 AM in the morning, we make tea for the guests, wake them up, plan the entire day’s safari and take them around to introduce them to indigenous wildlife.
But it’s much more than just that, as a guide, we not only lead them in the field but we also plan their menus, plan the day, and even have chats about their children and grandchildren sitting back home in the US, UK, or any other part of the world. Besides having knowledge of our area, we have to have certain soft skills such as leadership, communication, and entertainment. We are quite simply, the daily ambassadors of the parks.
Netra: What are the few takeaways from your recently published book the “Photographic Field Guide to Wildlife of South India”?
