| Dr. Chellam, the perception is
that you lead a very exciting and adventurous life. Is this
true and when did the natural history bug bite you?
Please call me Ravi. Yes the life of a field biologist can
be adventurous. Within three months of my joining the Wildlife
Institute in 1985, for instance, I found myself taking the
rectal temperature of a tranquillised elephant that had been
administered the revival dose in Rajaji. I was still holding
its tail and had just removed the thermometer when the elephant
got up into a sitting position (almost on me!) and then gently
walked away into the moonlit forest. It had been a long day,
but that is another story. I could write a book about such
adventures.
There was no one defining moment when wildlife hooked me.
As a kid I can remember exploring about in our garden, looking
for bugs and worms, sometimes to the dismay of my mother who
would have to deal with grimy fingernails and dirty clothes.
I used to collect the strangest 'pets' that would keep me
occupied for hours. I can remember devouring wildlife comics
like Tarzan and The Phantom. I particularly remember being
absorbed by the Adventure Series, which described the escapades
of two brothers. The Whale Adventure, for example, virtually
took me on a journey into the world of marine mammals.
Comics and fiction as motivation? That's certainly unusual!
Not really. I know many people whose inspiration came from
such apparently unlikely sources. As I grew older, of course,
my parents and friends continued to be supportive of my strange
fascination for nature and on my part I would pore over the
few wildlife reports that I found in newspapers like The Hindu
or magazines like The Illustrated Weekly. Then there was My
Country Notebook, M. Krishnan's long-running column in The
Statesman, which was a major influence. When they came to
town, I loved seeing wildlife films.
I always loved being outdoors. I have vivid memories of visits
to relatives living in rural Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I sort
of fancied myself as a naturalist and would try to observe
birds and identify them on the basis of what I read and what
I thought they must be. The Black Drongos perched on the telephone
wires, I was certain, were swallows. Pariah and Brahminy Kites
soaring above were huge eagles… possibly Bald Eagles?
The funniest misidentification was the Barn Owl that I thought
was a Snowy Owl because of its whitish plumage. I now know,
however, that the process of making such errors is vital to
the process of learning. When I was out on birding trips,
even in Madras, I would keep careful notations and these helped
me correct myself. I think I learned as much through my mistakes
and by watching the way experienced naturalists behaved on
outings as I did through meticulous study. In more ways than
one, the path of natural history was being chosen for me without
my taking a conscious decision.
So what was the final trigger? Something must have nudged
you towards your chosen direction.
More than any one trigger, I think it was a process of osmosis.
My interest in nature and biology just kept building up through
the years. When I was in school between the mid-sixties and
seventies, career options for us centred around engineering,
medicine, chartered accountancy, law, banking and possibly
business. There was then not even a remote chance that someone
could actually make a living studying wildlife, or working
in the area of nature conservation or environmental protection.
Given my interest in biology, medicine seemed the natural
thing to take up, but for several reasons, I joined a BSc
(Botany) course in the Vivekananda College, Chennai, instead.
To put it mildly, the course was badly taught and the experience
almost convinced me to give up my studies. The good thing
however was the amount of time I had on my hands. I'm talking
about the late seventies when the Madras Naturalists' Society
and the WWF office in Madras both used to hold meetings that
I would regularly attend. It was here that I began to get
a real sense of what natural history fieldwork and conservation
meant. I got into the habit of noting down almost everything
of import that I saw, leaving as little as possible to memory.
I also understood the value of a decent pair of binoculars
and how important it was to cross check facts before shooting
off one's mouth about identifications or behaviour.
In April 1981 I would have laughed if someone had gazed into
a crystal ball to tell me that in under five years I would
be based in the Gir forest conducting field studies on the
ecology of the Asiatic lion for my PhD. Thanks to a relative,
I had landed a job as a Marketing Executive with Krish &
Associates, a firm dealing in industrial and textile chemicals.
I could hardly believe my luck. I was staying with my parents,
took home a very decent salary, was able to travel and meet
interesting people (something that I still enjoy very much)
and was able to play cricket over weekends because I worked
a five-day week. Life seemed almost too good to be true!
From industrial chemicals to wildlife… that seems
a long way to have walked!
Well the first year sort of whizzed by like a dream. I loved
the work and enjoyed the lifestyle. With enough money in my
pocket, life was one long party. Somewhere at the back of
my mind was the idea of studying overseas. I even toyed with
the thought of joining the Indian Forest Service at some point.
But clearly, I had no indication at all of the course my life
would take. While I worked as a marketing executive, however,
I did manage to start a small nature club for the children
of my school.
What about the money? How were you able to make two ends
meet?
I have to confess that I had become used to the basic comforts
of life and the entertainment that large cities present on
a platter. But I was emotionally supported by my family and
I was determined not to allow financial considerations to
cloud my choice of career. In that sense, you might say I
was driven by the flush of optimism so typical of youth. Though
memories of my marketing days did occasionally recur, I was
never disappointed on the money front. You see I loved being
out in the wilds… and my trips to such destinations were
actually paid for! On top of this, I was paid a monthly salary.
How on earth could I complain!
Someone must have influenced you. Who were your heroes?
The late M. Krishnan. I never missed a piece of what he wrote.
He was an amazing man whose gift with language was almost
as brilliant as his natural history observations. In terms
of direct influence, however, the most important person was
undoubtedly Preston Ahimaz, who was the State Administrator
for WWF-India, Madras. He was already smitten by the natural
history bug, which ultimately bit me too! Between 1981 and
1983 Preston was studying the ecology of Shaheen Falcons in
and around the hills near Gingee, a place famous for a fort
of the same name. My first overnight trip and organised field
work was with him. Here I think I learned the right values,
the right way to observe animals and also the right attitude.
I was greatly stimulated by the experience and realised that
this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In January
1983, I volunteered my services for a WWF-India nature camp
at Point Calimere. This was my first visit to a real protected
area and I was hooked. I'd say this was a turning point in
my life. The Bombay Natural History Society operated a field
station at Point Calimere in 1983 and here I met many researchers
and spent time talking about their work. I learned about AVC
College, the first in India to offer a full time Masters course
in wildlife biology. My choice was virtually made. This was
going to be a full time career.
We had family friends living close to the college and they
helped me get the necessary forms. With some difficulty, I
did get in and almost immediately, I began asking around about
job opportunities in wildlife research. I chose to attend
the BNHS Centenary symposium that was held at Powai in Bombay
in December 1983. This was another eventful decision. I interacted
with such greats as Dr. Salim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley. I
also met with scores of other scientists and conservationists,
some every bit as confused and in search of answers as I was.
Many of the relationships I struck up then have lasted me
all my life.
And your wife Bhooma? Does she complain?
Not any more than any family might. Bhooma, our daughter Roshni
and I have learned to adapt to this life. We are a unit and
none of us has unreasonable ambitions or demands. Nor do we
compare our lifestyles with those of others. The question
of my taking up another career never really arose and has
never been discussed. The life of a field biologist is actually
reasonably comfortable, even though there are very limited
luxuries. As with all other aspects of life, one must see
things in the correct perspective. We live in the Wildlife
Institute campus in Dehra Dun, which is the envy of everyone
who comes here. We get to travel to wonderful places and we
breathe clean air and lead a healthy life. Many of our friends
own homes, multiple cars and the associated trappings of a
gadget filled life. Bhooma and I still move around on a two
wheeler. But I would not change this life for the riches of
the world.
How do friends in unrelated professions react to your
lifestyle?
What you do never really affects your friendships. My classmates
at school now include professional sportsmen, lawyers, accountants,
financial big wigs, computer professionals, doctors, engineers,
MBA graduates… you name it. We never feel isolated or
left out when we meet up with them. If anything it is the
other way round! Friends are vocal in their admiration of
the life we lead, the places I get to visit and the kind of
work I do. While they do sometimes cringe at the idea of risking
snakebites, contracting exotic viruses, or being infested
with leeches and ticks, our conversations often centre around
the exciting tales that I tend to relate from one or other
of my various field trips and expeditions.
And what about the Wildlife Institute? Are you happy here?
Does the WII hold out a promise of job security for future
wildlife biologists?
Happy? Yes I am happy here. Though I can think of a hundred
things that I might like to see being done differently. I
also think it is a mistake to look at the WII as a kind of
employment agency for wildlife biologists. That was never
its mandate. It merely helps to train individuals so that
they know the ropes better. In terms of job security, my job
is as secure or insecure as any other government job. Put
another way, it is most unlikely that I will lose my job until
the day I retire… unless I seriously screw up. In fact
I sometimes feel that this job is too secure; that it does
not provide the required impetus for people to perform. The
system has no effective way to deal with those guilty of non-performance.
Job satisfaction is a completely different issue. This is
determined by individual aspirations and motivations. Ideally
the leadership of an institution should set long-term institutional
goals, articulate a definite agenda and develop a philosophy
that provides the framework within which individual professional
aspirations can develop. We, who help frame the character
of the WII, must understand the strengths and weaknesses of
the institution and develop our own strategies and mechanisms
to deal with situations and enhance its effectiveness.
So how effective has the WII been in promoting wildlife
conservation and research in India?
The WII, like other institutes, has its fair share of successes
and failures. It has tremendous strengths in terms of personnel,
infrastructure and students. There is so much we want to do
and we are working hard at developing inner strengths by building
a strong work ethic and a philosophy to guide us. But we have
a long way to go before we can claim to be shaping the strategies
and policies governing wildlife conservation in India because
we have no authority to enforce the policies we recommend.
It would help if we took a more independent stand on issues,
backed by unassailable logic and unimpeachable data.
Commercial projects are posing a major threat to wild
habitats and species. Are field biologists selling out to
the development lobby by taking lucrative consultancies to
deliver Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs) that recommend
projects, even when they are against the interests of biodiversity?
I recognise the problem you mention, but sweeping generalisations
are unfair. Besides, most such consultancies are not even
undertaken by field biologists. Misunderstandings arise when
people confuse scientific fact and opinion. But yes, EIAs
are often rushed and this prevents the collection of reliable
ecological and natural history data. This encourages fly-by-night
operators in the guise of natural history experts to step
in, particularly when reputed institutes refuse to be associated
with assignments that provide neither time nor resources to
undertake complex studies.
There have also been accusations of late that WII faculty
members are more keen on dollar consultancies rather than
conservation priorities.
We have all heard these accusations. No one can deny that
there is some truth to such views, but largely they are exaggerated.
There are positive aspects that come to the fore when overseas
consultancies are accepted by faculty. For one thing, there
is greater exposure to problems, solutions and people. The
financial rewards that come with such assignments should not
be grudged. Just because people work for a 'cause' hardly
means they must adopt voluntary poverty for the rest of their
lives. What is needed is an ethical, rational and very objective
approach to the choice of consultancy projects, and more importantly,
a policy that virtually prohibits the taking up of consultancies
that either dilute or compromise the conservation objectives
for which the WII was set up.
I think we need to keep in mind that only a very small fraction
of field biologists have actually taken up the kind of consultancies
you are talking about. My view is that everything about such
consultancies should be transparent, including the nature
of the assignment, the fees being collected and the terms
that funding agencies stipulate. If this is done then no one
should have any objections or criticisms at all. Besides,
once true transparency exists, even if agencies offering consultancies
have hidden agendas, it would be difficult to impose them.
At another level, the science we produce could benefit from
global peer review and public debate.
You worked on the relocation scheme for the Asiatic lion
at Palpur Kuno. Are things going the way you wanted?
By Indian standards, the lion translocation project (Sanctuary
Vol. XVIII No.5, October 1998) has really moved fast. We did
a survey of the potential sites in 1993-94, submitted our
report in January 1995 and this was almost immediately accepted
by the Government of India and the State Government of Madhya
Pradesh. The MP Forest Department had their plan and budget
ready by April 1995 and soon after the Government of India
released the funds. But not everything has moved according
to plan. The emphasis on infrastructural development, basically
civil engineering, has dominated biology, ecology and the
social and anthropological aspects. But Kuno is an excellent
site for the translocation with a large and contiguous forest
tract and low human densities. I am optimistic about the final
result. Villagers were very keen to move out from the lion
introduction areas and saw the sensible rehabilitation package
as a chance to improve their lives. Unfortunately, sociologists
were not in control and this coupled with the lack of a consultative
approach on the part of the Forest Department has led to some
resentment. Communities were also probably not given time
to adapt and settle down, but this damage can be rectified
with genuine transparency and consultations. The obsession
with civil engineering 'solutions' actually damages the habitat
and diminishes the naturalness of the area. I am anxious to
see the next stage of the project being implemented, that
is the building up of the prey base. The project has also
suffered from a lack of communication between the WII, MP
and Gujarat Forest Departments, Government of India, concerned
NGOs, and from a lack of positive public opinion, which leaves
the project vulnerable to politicisation.
The good thing is that recently, an expert technical committee
has been constituted with J.J. Dutta as the Chairman. If it
has political support, this Committee could provide the impetus
for proper monitoring and implementation of the vital lion
translocation project. We simply cannot afford to mess up
because a second free ranging population is a pre-requisite
to saving the Asiatic lion in the long run.
Are field biologists sort of free radicals moving from
one disconnected project to the next? What are your post-lion
plans?
It may seem so, but in truth most field biologists tend to
specialise either on species, or habitats, or perhaps on processes.
I am for instance involved with a project dealing with the
effects of rainforest fragmentation on the herpetofauna and
small mammals of the Western Ghats in southern India. By 2000-2001
we hope to survey rainforest fragments from Goa down to Kerala.
In some ways, this is a huge jump from lions - dry forests
to rainforests. But everything in nature is linked and organisms
often evolve convergent survival strategies. Every assignment
we undertake influences our thinking and determines our future
capabilities. Right now, I am supervising an MSc dissertation
that deals with the behaviour of leopards in captivity. A
project with which I will be involved includes the study of
leopards with an emphasis on predation ecology, ranging, habitat
use and dispersal. Others involve biogeography and conservation
planning in India using birds as the reference taxa; social
behaviour and dispersal in lions and the effects of forest
fragmentation on Hoolock gibbons in Assam. I love the diversity
of my involvement, which in some ways represents the diversity
we are all fighting to protect.
What are the three most important priorities for wildlife
conservation in India?
1. Finding the political will to integrate nature conservation
into national planning. Environmental groups must not be reduced
to a policing role. We are a vital part of national development,
for the habitats and processes we defend hold the key to the
water and food security of the Indian subcontinent. The political
will should extend to ensuring monitoring and compliance.
2. The public at large must be educated on issues surrounding
nature conservation. Not just the urban elite but even those
living close to wildlife habitats. The effort must transcend
education to involve empowerment of communities so they have
a stake in the protection of habitats and the species that
reside therein.
3. The management of our national parks and sanctuaries must
become more transparent and more scientific. Committed and
capable persons must be appointed to the right job in the
right place. Such individuals hold the key to the success
of all our conservation objectives and they must be trained
and equipped. The need of the hour is a management that is
driven by research and monitoring, not political compulsions.
How can Sanctuary readers help field biologists protect
wild places?
The Sanctuary readership is vast and motivated and cuts across
the social milieu of India. Vigilance can be their first contribution.
They could be an early warning system to vocally highlight
damage being caused to wildlife. They can also help gather
data for conservation research, but this requires some training,
which can easily be imparted. Another critical contribution
would be to practise conservation in everyday life. We must
recognise that the largest damage is being done by the unsustainable
lifestyle of millions. Sanctuary readers who really care can
set an example by making small, but significant changes in
their own consumption patterns.
Would you advise young persons to follow in your footsteps?
Yes. Wildlife research and conservation presents exciting
and challenging career opportunities. In a nation of a billion
people, I imagine we have no more than 200 well trained conservation
biologists! A good sign is the fact that the financial returns
for such professions are improving. In 1985 as a Junior Research
Fellow, I was paid Rs. 800. Today the same fellowship is worth
Rs. 5000. I would be very willing to act as a sounding board
for interested youngsters who read Sanctuary.
Given the chance would you choose a different, more financially
rewarding, life for yourself and your family?
Not a chance! I love my job and my life. I was warned over
a decade ago that my peers would be richer than I. But richer
in what? Sure they have more cars and air-conditioners. But
is that what life is all about? I am rich in experiences and
am emotionally and intellectually fulfilled. I wake up each
morning looking forward to new discoveries. How can that be
compared with money and what it buys? Even as I say this,
of course, I must count my financial blessings. My family
has never wanted for anything. You can be as rich or as poor
as you wish. I have seen very rich people sacrifice family,
self-respect and happiness in the quest for still more money.
No. The grass is greener on my side of the fence!
Dr. Ravi Chellam,
The Wildlife Institute of India,
Post Box 18,
Dehra Dun 248 001.
Tel.: 91-135-640112 to 115
Fax: 91-135-640117
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