Naturalist Ratna Singh calmly sips her tea on the steps of her cottage as a rat snake slithers over the tiled roof. She’s unfazed at the sight, but then again, she’s used to it. Ratna Singh is a ranger at the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, a vast swathe of jungle in central India. She lives in the park, and her job is all about the jungle and its inhabitants – both animal and human.
Singh was one of the country’s first women naturalists - the equivalent of a ranger in Africa. In India, it wasn’t even really a recognized profession till ‘Taj Safaris’, a private company, set out to train people to become professional guides. But it’s not easy to become one. Naturalists have to have a sound knowledge of the area’s flora, fauna and ecosystem; they need to be able to identify not just animals, birds and plants but animal tracks, sounds, animal behaviour and the weather as well. They are also trained in astronomy, first aid, vehicle maintenance and even the art of hosting. Soft skills like an understanding of the Indian culture, current affairs and a flawless English diction are some of the other requirements of the job. Today, Singh is the first-ever head naturalist at Taj Safaris, a joint venture with Andbeyond, a well-known Africa-based company.
A woman in a man's world
When she first started working at the Kanha National Park, she was an oddity in this rough terrain. Often the local villagers used to rush out to see her as she drove past on her jeep. Then, in early 2007, a forest guard, Ramdin, approached her and said: “Will you meet my daughters? I want them to see what education can do for them even in a jungle.” Singh would regularly meet with Ramdin’s girls and, inspired by them, other people on her staff also asked that she meet their daughters. These days the 33-year-old naturalist is something of a role model for many young girls in the area today.
For Singh, the choice of profession came ‘naturally’ to her. “I love wildlife. I love the wilderness! I grew up with a lot of animals around me. It’s as if my soul belongs here. It’s an easier, simpler life. But earlier if you wanted to be in the jungle, you had to be a man. A trained, professional woman guide was unheard of,” she says.
During the initial years some distant relatives did try to dissuade her. “It was rather hard. I was criticised for wearing pants and living among men, doing a man's job, getting sweaty, being unladylike” But Singh was undeterred. “It’s my sixth year and over the years more women can be seen around. So I guess, it’s the hardest for the first one, and it was good that I didn’t crack under the pressure,” she adds.
Returning to her roots
Her parent’s support kept her going. “I was a complete jock throughout school and college, and played judo and basketball till the national level. My granny would worry that I’d be either crippled or scarred in a sporting accident and wouldn’t find anyone to marry me!” she laughs. Singh grew up in rural Madhya Pradesh, and so she was no stranger to thick forests, wild animals or rural environs.
She went to a boarding school when she was four but she always came back for the holidays. Apart from the farm animals, there were frequent sightings of langurs, macaques, wild boars and deer. There was the occasional leopard, tiger and bear too. “My family used to hunt in the old days, but my father had turned to conservation. You lived with animals; they had their rightful place alongside the villagers. I come from a feudal family were it’s a norm for people study in city schools and return to their roots to farm. We are all rooted,” she elaborates.
Madam Sir
These days Singh is often considered one of the guys. “Many of them call me 'sir' or a few 'madam sir'.” She tells the story of how once, she received a call from a guide at Kanha. “He said, ‘you have to protest with us, against the park authorities’ decision to induct women as guides.’ I replied, ‘Why would I do that?’ He said, ‘Why not?’ I said: ‘In case you have forgotten, I'm a woman!’ A moment's silence followed and then he sheepishly said, ‘Oh, haan. I forgot.’” Singh laughs at the memory, and adds that she’s happy that people have accepted her as a professional and that her gender isn’t an issue anymore.
One of Singh’s pet causes is to ensure better security in the jungles to avert man-animal conflict. “Villagers on the periphery of the jungle have to be provided with alternate sources of fuel and employment. We form close bonds with locals. We participate in their lives, festivals, weddings. It’s a small community that you belong to when you live in the jungle. You can’t keep away,” she says. She enjoys taking local village children on safaris, so they can see their natural heritage see the value in what they need to do and why.
Like all naturalists, she also dabbles with photography. “It’s a shame to be there and not capture the beauty and miracle of the jungle. Animals and wilderness look beautiful irrespective of the angle from which they are shot,” she says.
And she is determined to build a place for herself in the jungle, “I will always have an association with the jungle. Always.”
Singh was one of the country’s first women naturalists - the equivalent of a ranger in Africa. In India, it wasn’t even really a recognized profession till ‘Taj Safaris’, a private company, set out to train people to become professional guides. But it’s not easy to become one. Naturalists have to have a sound knowledge of the area’s flora, fauna and ecosystem; they need to be able to identify not just animals, birds and plants but animal tracks, sounds, animal behaviour and the weather as well. They are also trained in astronomy, first aid, vehicle maintenance and even the art of hosting. Soft skills like an understanding of the Indian culture, current affairs and a flawless English diction are some of the other requirements of the job. Today, Singh is the first-ever head naturalist at Taj Safaris, a joint venture with Andbeyond, a well-known Africa-based company.
A woman in a man's world
When she first started working at the Kanha National Park, she was an oddity in this rough terrain. Often the local villagers used to rush out to see her as she drove past on her jeep. Then, in early 2007, a forest guard, Ramdin, approached her and said: “Will you meet my daughters? I want them to see what education can do for them even in a jungle.” Singh would regularly meet with Ramdin’s girls and, inspired by them, other people on her staff also asked that she meet their daughters. These days the 33-year-old naturalist is something of a role model for many young girls in the area today.
For Singh, the choice of profession came ‘naturally’ to her. “I love wildlife. I love the wilderness! I grew up with a lot of animals around me. It’s as if my soul belongs here. It’s an easier, simpler life. But earlier if you wanted to be in the jungle, you had to be a man. A trained, professional woman guide was unheard of,” she says.
During the initial years some distant relatives did try to dissuade her. “It was rather hard. I was criticised for wearing pants and living among men, doing a man's job, getting sweaty, being unladylike” But Singh was undeterred. “It’s my sixth year and over the years more women can be seen around. So I guess, it’s the hardest for the first one, and it was good that I didn’t crack under the pressure,” she adds.
Returning to her roots
Her parent’s support kept her going. “I was a complete jock throughout school and college, and played judo and basketball till the national level. My granny would worry that I’d be either crippled or scarred in a sporting accident and wouldn’t find anyone to marry me!” she laughs. Singh grew up in rural Madhya Pradesh, and so she was no stranger to thick forests, wild animals or rural environs.
She went to a boarding school when she was four but she always came back for the holidays. Apart from the farm animals, there were frequent sightings of langurs, macaques, wild boars and deer. There was the occasional leopard, tiger and bear too. “My family used to hunt in the old days, but my father had turned to conservation. You lived with animals; they had their rightful place alongside the villagers. I come from a feudal family were it’s a norm for people study in city schools and return to their roots to farm. We are all rooted,” she elaborates.
Madam Sir
These days Singh is often considered one of the guys. “Many of them call me 'sir' or a few 'madam sir'.” She tells the story of how once, she received a call from a guide at Kanha. “He said, ‘you have to protest with us, against the park authorities’ decision to induct women as guides.’ I replied, ‘Why would I do that?’ He said, ‘Why not?’ I said: ‘In case you have forgotten, I'm a woman!’ A moment's silence followed and then he sheepishly said, ‘Oh, haan. I forgot.’” Singh laughs at the memory, and adds that she’s happy that people have accepted her as a professional and that her gender isn’t an issue anymore.
One of Singh’s pet causes is to ensure better security in the jungles to avert man-animal conflict. “Villagers on the periphery of the jungle have to be provided with alternate sources of fuel and employment. We form close bonds with locals. We participate in their lives, festivals, weddings. It’s a small community that you belong to when you live in the jungle. You can’t keep away,” she says. She enjoys taking local village children on safaris, so they can see their natural heritage see the value in what they need to do and why.
Like all naturalists, she also dabbles with photography. “It’s a shame to be there and not capture the beauty and miracle of the jungle. Animals and wilderness look beautiful irrespective of the angle from which they are shot,” she says.
And she is determined to build a place for herself in the jungle, “I will always have an association with the jungle. Always.”
The Women's Feature Service
