Kolappa Venkatesh
Venkat is a Zoology graduate with a Masters Degree in Sociology. Venkat's passion for Wildlife & nature was ignited during the first two decades of his childhood years in his native village. After his college education, he worked for 11 years in Sales & Marketing and 3 years in the BPO industry. His years in the city only increased his passion for wildlife, ultimately resulting in him giving up his career and getting involved in Wildlife tourism & Conservation. He has wide experience in the field of wildlife having worked in Kanha and Pench National Parks before coming to Kabini. He has also visited most of the National Parks in India. Venkat believes that the urban man has lost touch with wilderness and nature. He strongly feels that helping them reconnect with nature will go a long way in invoking the spirit of wildlife conservation. Conservation of wildlife according to Venkat is essential for the long time survival of the human race.
Narendran M.M
Narendran hails from the land of wetland birds, Alapuzha, Kerala. After his schooling at Thiruvalla M G M, he went on to complete his graduation in Zoology from N S S college Changanassery. Since 2000, he has been involved as an activist in Kottayam Nature Society, protecting the wetland birds in Kerala. Despite repeated offers to work in Gulf like many other Keralites, he stood firm to follow his passion for conserving what is left from nature & wilderness. He also has a passion for wildlife photography. He worked as a Naturalist for 2 years in Gokarna, Karnataka, where he gained more knowledge on butterflies & reptiles, birds & smaller mammals including river Dolphins.
When an opportunity to work in the Kabini area came to him, he couldn't resist it and is now at Orange County, Kabini, cherishing every minute of his stay here.
Aniketan
Aniketan possesses dual Masters in IT and MBA. He began his career in the IT industry and pursued it for five years. His school days functioned as an eye-opener for him as he got inspired by nature and wildlife. As a part of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) - Air Wing, Aniketan participated in various camps of trekking, National Integration and Cycling. Training in glider pilot, skeet shooting and range firing has developed team building and leadership qualities in him.
Aniketan was an active member of Vivek Adventures, Mysore, a non-profit organization which conducts trekking camps and nature conservation activities in India. During a couple of camps organized by this organization, he had the privilege of interacting with Dr. Ravindranath Aithal, an acclaimed expert in Indian Herpetology. The shift in his career from IT to wildlife occurred during the time he worked for Mr. Krupakar and Senani when they were filming wild dogs in the Nilgiri range. He frequently reads on topics such as the origin of species, nature and wildlife. He regularly goes trekking, is on forest tours, participates in wildlife photography sessions, interactions with tribes, predominantly in South India to continue learning about this vast field. His primary interests are learning natural history and conserving nature.
N.S. Pritham
Pritham possesses a postgraduate degree in Environmental Informatics from the University of Leicester, UK. Following his post-graduation, he joined hands with Dr. H. N. Kumara, a Wildlife Biologist, to work on projects relating to the Lion- tailed Macaque. He also had a brief stint with the acclaimed Wildlife moviemakers, Mr. Krupakar and Senani, when they were filming wild dogs in the Nilgiri ranges. He also worked for a Karnataka State Government Organization called the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Application Centre, in the capacity of a Scientist, before joining Orange County, Kabini as a Naturalist. He is also an avid bird- watcher and an amateur Nature photographer.
Arjun M. Bharadwaj
Arjun is a graduate in Computer Science. Following three years of experience working in the Software industry, he wanted to pursue Nature and Conservation - his dream and passion. Despite residing in a large Metro city like Bangalore, he continued to do his bit for Nature by becoming a volunteer with the BBMP (Bruhat Bengalooru Mahanagara Palike) forest cell. There he was involved with Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation efforts, preventing illegal Wildlife Trade, educating people about Nature and Conservation and assisting the Karnataka Forest Department. He has been an active participant in the Tiger Census 2010 and Elephant Census 2010. He also loves to photograph Nature and Wildlife, however, without disturbing their habitat.
