The Interview Portal
Animal Welfare and Project Management Professional Interview
The Interview Portal, Boston, Massachusetts, us, 02298
CSR initiatives play a key role in aligning environmental and social agenda with core business objectives,thus focusing on purpose along with profits !
Want to make an application Make sure your CV is up to date, then read the following job specs carefully before applying. Abhishek Narayanan, our next pathbreaker, Senior Manager at HCLFoundation, looks after Pan-India projects that focus on the Animal Welfare thematic by working on various community-led strategies for addressing their welfare concerns. Abhishek talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy fromThe Interview Portal about how his decision to join as a snake rescue coordinator with Wildlife SOS, catalysed his transition from the field of Physiotherapy altogether to pursue a career in animal welfare. For students, if you are an animal lover, there are great opportunities waiting for you to make this world a better place for them ! Abhishek, can you talk about your initial years? I was born in Delhi in a Tamilian Family with my mother being a teacher and father from civil engineering background. I studied in Delhi till the age of thirteen and then moved to a small village in Maharashtra since my elder brother was pursuing Engineering. For the next 10 years or so I was in Maharashtra only, towards the end completing my bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from Pune, before moving back to Delhi for work. During my stint in Maharashtra, I got fascinated with snakes, since I used to have nightmares about them. My mother being a religious person, resorted to taking me to temples and worshiping Lord Shiva to prevent these. However, my interest in snakes led me to reading and learning more about them, gradually reducing my nightmares. In Pune, I would go on excursions in the forests and try to find snakes, lizards, frogs, etc. to see them up-close. I also started volunteering with local snake rescue teams in my free time as well. After moving to Delhi and practicing physiotherapy for a while, being discontent, I decided to pursue travel writing and photography. During this time, as a matter of luck, I was asked to join an Animal Rescue organization, which is when I decided to finally quit physiotherapy completely and accept the job. During this tenure, I also completed my Masters in Environmental Science. What started as a hobby and passion driven work, has now led me to a full-time role in working with Animals. I started merely as an animal rescuer but now lead Pan-India projects on Animal Welfare and focus on project management, technical value-addons, etc. for a CSR driven implementation. What did you do for graduation / post-graduation? My graduation was in Physiotherapy from Pune, Maharashtra (B.P.Th) and post-graduation was in Environment Science (MSc) What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and unique career in Animal Welfare? I would say that the main driver for moving into the field of animal welfare was my fascination with snakes and reptiles in general. They fascinated me from an early age and watching documentaries about them, reading about them, got me more hooked to their ecology, behavior, and their role in the larger ecosystem. It was not that I was unhappy with my physiotherapy degree and the work I was doing there, but it was not driving my passion anymore. I also knew that animal welfare jobs, at that time, would not pay so well, since this required working with NGO’s and not-for-profit organizations. Still, I decided to take this risky course with a caveat that in case nothing works out for me in this field, I can always go back to practicing physiotherapy. By the stroke of luck, things panned out well. I met various people who guided, mentored, and catalyzed my transition into full-time animal welfare practice. My choice of completing MSc in environmental science, while working also helped me in mainstreaming my work into more and qualified relevance. As I mentioned before, after completing a degree in Physiotherapy I joined a well-known clinic in Delhi working with patients especially with neurological issues such as strokes, spinal cord injuries, etc. While this job was fulfilling to an extent, and I was good at it, I did miss the infrequent and impromptu visits to forests and looking at various creatures, big or small. So, I took planned leave and started travelling to various places in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, etc. and got increasingly hooked to the wildlife in those areas. A simple message from Mr. Siddharth Edake (now working with World Resources Institute), who is now a great friend and mentor, to join as a snake rescue coordinator with Wildlife SOS, set in motion my career path, which led to me leaving the field of Physiotherapy altogether. Tell us about your career path! In my first job at Wildlife SOS, I first started with learning the correct techniques of animal rescue and handling, and then developed better systems for documentation, monitoring, data management, etc. I tried to bring in a more holistic and scientific rigor to the whole exercise of animal rescue thereby trying to improve effectiveness and success. I was able to do this, since I was also technically learning about the environment, data collection and analytical techniques, etc. while doing my postgraduate degree in Environmental Science. During the tenure, I also briefly worked on project management, networking and fund-raising, stakeholder management, etc. Having worked there close to 3 years, I reached out to the Co-Founder, Wildlife SOS, Kartick Satyanarayan, as I wanted to pursue a research degree in Wildlife and wanted to move ahead. He wanted me to continue for some more time and think about the possibilities, which is what I got into. I cleared my IELTS and started applying for various colleges and finally decided to end my tenure at Wildlife SOS and focus specifically on pursuing a PhD. However, the future had a different plan, when Jose Louies, the current Executive Director of another leading Wildlife Organization, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) asked me to join an interesting project. He wanted someone to go to Chennai Zoo and take care of 600+ Indian Star Tortoises that were confiscated at the Airport, and the forest department wanted to see if rehabilitation of these reptiles was possible. WTI had previously done a similar project and Jose wanted someone to be on the field to ensure all rehabilitation principles are followed for a couple of months. As I assumed this to be a couple of months project, I immediately took it up and moved to Chennai, staying there for more than 8 months. This was my first off-site field deployment back in 2011 and a thoroughly eye-opening project since I had to collaborate with various stakeholders including the forest department. After seeing this project to its completion, I joined WTI as I was asked to join them full time under the Wildlife Rescue Division at Noida. I decided to put my further studies on hold and accepted the offer, to finally work with WTI which lasted for over 9 years. At WTI I got exposed to Project Management, Financial Management, and processes for establishing, operating, and managing Wildlife Rescue Centers. WTI also gave me exposure to a network-based disaster response and to risk management systems including dedicated training with WTI’s institutional partner, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), based out of Cape Cod, Boston, US. During my tenure, I worked with various senior veterinarians such as Dr. Rathin Barman, Dr. Bhaskar Choudhury, Dr. Samshul Ali, Dr. Panjit Basumatary, Dr. Daoharu Baro and many more. I also worked closely with animal rehabilitation experts, biologists and various forest department officers and gradually transitioned from an on-the-ground field implementation officer to a manager. I also learned aspects of organizational building, HR Management, Scientific Documentation, and Animal Inclusive Disaster Response and Mitigation. I travelled to various exotic places in Northeast India, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, etc. I continued working with WTI till 2021 even through COVID and adapted to newer ways to organize and deliver. However, looking for a change and growth, I started exploring other avenues where my Project Management skills would be put to more use. I had briefly worked on some corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in WTI, and a position at HCLFoundation interested me to apply there. HCLFoundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India through its flagship programmes and special initiatives. As a not-for-profit organization, it strives to contribute towards national and international development goals, bringing about positive impact in the lives of people through long-term sustainable programmes. I was offered a position to take care of the Animal Welfare theme of the environment action flagship programme of HCLFoundation, Harit. HCLFoundation launched Harit – The Green Initiative, a distinct flagship programme for Environment Action; with the vision ‘to conserve, restore and enhance indigenous environmental systems and respond to climate change in a sustainable manner through community engagement.’ I joined HCLFoundation under the guidance of Dr. Santanu Basu, Project Director. I am currently working here as a Manager, Animal Welfare and lead the PAN-India Animal Welfare Interventions undertaken by Harit Programme of HCLFoundation. I apply my project management skills along with the thematic expertise in Animal Welfare to plan, implement and monitor CSR projects as per the board mandated programme. In addition, I also facilitate aspects of CSR Compliance, Fund Management, Auditing, etc. of the programme under guidance of Senior Management. How did you get your first break? As mentioned above, my first break in the field of Animal Welfare was through a private message from Siddharth Edake on the erstwhile social media platform Orkut to join Wildlife SOS. So, since I was already volunteering with a few individuals involved in animal rescue, especially snakes, I was part of various groups on social media. I used to frequently post there about snakes and asked questions and even after moving to Delhi wanted to connect with like-minded people. That’s when Siddharth wrote to me that they were looking for someone and on trial basis I can join his team. What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them? My first challenge was to convince my family and friends on the unconventional path I was treading on. Back in those days, and I am sure even now, just after completion of school education one is expected to take either of the two most popular streams – Engineering or Medical. I had topped my District in the 12 th Standard Board Examinations and was always expected to take either of this and excel in the same. I also became part of the cogwheel of numerous bricks that were making the wall of the society and applied for the joint entrance examinations. Due to some delay in the admissions under medical stream, I also accepted Engineering and studied for 3 months at Government Engineering College at Nanded. Upon confirmation of my admission in physiotherapy at Pune, I decided to take that up. Having done all this, when I suddenly decided to take a turn towards animal rescue and welfare, my family and friends were skeptical and tried talking me out of it. However, being a stubborn Scorpion, I decided to take it up anyway. The second challenge I felt was my lack of qualification in the field of Animal Welfare or ecology or veterinary sciences. Hence, I did an MSc in Environment sciences and even continued looking for further education. However, soon I realized that work is where one learns the maximum and one should not run just behind degrees. When one focuses on the work at hand, he/she is more accepted and respected. Another challenge I feel, when I retrospect is that, during my formative years, we did not have access to so much information and even careers were limited to Medical and Engineering, others being considered as vocational. I am aware that now this has changed, and youngsters have more access and exposure to their interest areas. Where do you work now? I currently work at HCLFoundation as a Senior Manager and have been here since October 2021. I look after the Animal Welfare thematic where we implement various strategies for addressing the welfare concerns of both community/free roaming and wild animals. My work revolves around various aspects of Project Management such as planning, financial management, implementation, monitoring and technical inputs. I work with various other thematic and sectoral leads along with senior leadership from HCLFoundation in implementation of CSR Agenda Driven Impactful work. Thematically, I am currently looking after projects solving the issue of increasing population and thereby conflict of free roaming dogs with humans; dedicated campaign on sustainable and responsible kite flying that otherwise affects numerous species of wildlife and sometimes even humans; addressing the problem of Rabies with a One health approach and other ancillary projects. Programmatically, I look at key government partnerships, compliance and audit of NGOs working under Harit Programme, fund management and reporting and to an extent other core activities of HCLFoundation. What are the skills required for your role? How did you acquire them? My technical skills of understanding Animal Welfare and its aspects is what governs my major work deliverables. In addition, an astute understanding of financial management, CSR Compliances and reporting, Accounting and Auditing, organizational management under relevant rules and regulations, team management, procurement and principles of disaster response and risk reduction are some of the other skills that I utilize at work. While some of these skills were part of my formative years, some skills I learned on the job, by reading, taking free courses, etc. What is a typical day like? My typical day starts with an old-school method of penning down the key tasks for the day in a diary. Then I go ahead and clear my mail, since I do not like having unread and cluttered mailboxes and ensure every mail, where response is required from my side, is done. I then go ahead with my planned tasks, meetings, phone calls and discussions with a larger team. I often get to travel to the project sites, and I prefer waking up early and doing all these administrative tasks before the field work starts. What do you love about your work? What I love about my job is the creative independence and at the same time the timely and prompt guidance from senior leadership including the board, Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President and Director Global CSR, HCLFoundation, Dr. Santanu Basu, Project Director, Harit, Ms. Simi Suri, General Manager, and many others including the larger team. Effectively working within a corporate discipline but in the development sector is a difficult mix to have, but the work culture inculcated within HCLTech and HCLFoundation makes it a breeze to work in. How does your work benefit society? Working for the CSR agenda for HCLTech, HCLFoundation’s work is entirely devoted towards the welfare of the planet and people. Our work encompasses an entire range from integrated community development projects to working in conservation of ecosystem processes in terrestrial as well as Marine environments. My work which is towards addressing the welfare concerns of community as well as wild animals also benefits the society through reduction in negative interactions between animals and people, controlling spread of diseases such as Rabies and bringing about a behavioural change in people towards their coexistence with animals. While our end-beneficiaries are animals, the co-benefits impact the communities and societies as well. Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you! This memory also led me to meet my better half whom I have been married to for over 6 years. As a wildlife veterinarian she and I had to deal with an emergency, when a leopard had taken refuge in a sugarcane field in the outskirts of Meerut, an agro-industrial town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, North India. The leopard had gotten trapped in a Jaw-Trap, which was originally laid by the farmers for catching jackals, wild boars, etc. Upon reaching the spot along with the local forest department, we realized that while managing the leopard might have been easier, managing the mob of over one thousand people who had gathered around for the “Mela”, was a tricky task. The sugarcane itself was ready for harvest and thus was like a forest of 10-12 ft. tall grass, with zero visibility. Requesting the local administration and forest department to manage the mob, my wife and I along with one forest department staff equipped with a gun, were lifted on an excavator of a JCB to enter the field and locate the leopard to tranquilize. After combing the field, we finally zeroed in on the location of the leopard and my wife with the best accuracy delivered the tranquilizer. At that moment we looked at each other and in all that excitement decided to be together. This memory is still fresh in our minds despite being almost a decade old, and often becomes a part of storytelling when we are with friends and family. Also to conclude, the leopard was successfully rescued, treated, and then released back in a wild area. Your advice to students based on your experience? I am not sure any advice would be prudent as every student has a different planned and actual career path that gets charted as an when he/she becomes mature. The only advice I could give is something that someone told me when I was transitioning across careers. Whichever career path one chooses to take, should fulfill him/her in a manner that one is content after the day’s work and happy to go back the next day. Money, workplace culture, benefits, team members, bosses, appreciation, rewards, etc. all being external factors will become ancillary and you will grow and rise no matter what. Another aspect to always remember is integrity which is an intrinsic trait, and it answers and affects only oneself. Future Plans? Currently, the future is a little open road. My idea is to create an impactful legacy and ensure these become sustainable. The day that is achieved, will take some other career path since learning never ends.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Want to make an application Make sure your CV is up to date, then read the following job specs carefully before applying. Abhishek Narayanan, our next pathbreaker, Senior Manager at HCLFoundation, looks after Pan-India projects that focus on the Animal Welfare thematic by working on various community-led strategies for addressing their welfare concerns. Abhishek talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy fromThe Interview Portal about how his decision to join as a snake rescue coordinator with Wildlife SOS, catalysed his transition from the field of Physiotherapy altogether to pursue a career in animal welfare. For students, if you are an animal lover, there are great opportunities waiting for you to make this world a better place for them ! Abhishek, can you talk about your initial years? I was born in Delhi in a Tamilian Family with my mother being a teacher and father from civil engineering background. I studied in Delhi till the age of thirteen and then moved to a small village in Maharashtra since my elder brother was pursuing Engineering. For the next 10 years or so I was in Maharashtra only, towards the end completing my bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from Pune, before moving back to Delhi for work. During my stint in Maharashtra, I got fascinated with snakes, since I used to have nightmares about them. My mother being a religious person, resorted to taking me to temples and worshiping Lord Shiva to prevent these. However, my interest in snakes led me to reading and learning more about them, gradually reducing my nightmares. In Pune, I would go on excursions in the forests and try to find snakes, lizards, frogs, etc. to see them up-close. I also started volunteering with local snake rescue teams in my free time as well. After moving to Delhi and practicing physiotherapy for a while, being discontent, I decided to pursue travel writing and photography. During this time, as a matter of luck, I was asked to join an Animal Rescue organization, which is when I decided to finally quit physiotherapy completely and accept the job. During this tenure, I also completed my Masters in Environmental Science. What started as a hobby and passion driven work, has now led me to a full-time role in working with Animals. I started merely as an animal rescuer but now lead Pan-India projects on Animal Welfare and focus on project management, technical value-addons, etc. for a CSR driven implementation. What did you do for graduation / post-graduation? My graduation was in Physiotherapy from Pune, Maharashtra (B.P.Th) and post-graduation was in Environment Science (MSc) What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and unique career in Animal Welfare? I would say that the main driver for moving into the field of animal welfare was my fascination with snakes and reptiles in general. They fascinated me from an early age and watching documentaries about them, reading about them, got me more hooked to their ecology, behavior, and their role in the larger ecosystem. It was not that I was unhappy with my physiotherapy degree and the work I was doing there, but it was not driving my passion anymore. I also knew that animal welfare jobs, at that time, would not pay so well, since this required working with NGO’s and not-for-profit organizations. Still, I decided to take this risky course with a caveat that in case nothing works out for me in this field, I can always go back to practicing physiotherapy. By the stroke of luck, things panned out well. I met various people who guided, mentored, and catalyzed my transition into full-time animal welfare practice. My choice of completing MSc in environmental science, while working also helped me in mainstreaming my work into more and qualified relevance. As I mentioned before, after completing a degree in Physiotherapy I joined a well-known clinic in Delhi working with patients especially with neurological issues such as strokes, spinal cord injuries, etc. While this job was fulfilling to an extent, and I was good at it, I did miss the infrequent and impromptu visits to forests and looking at various creatures, big or small. So, I took planned leave and started travelling to various places in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, etc. and got increasingly hooked to the wildlife in those areas. A simple message from Mr. Siddharth Edake (now working with World Resources Institute), who is now a great friend and mentor, to join as a snake rescue coordinator with Wildlife SOS, set in motion my career path, which led to me leaving the field of Physiotherapy altogether. Tell us about your career path! In my first job at Wildlife SOS, I first started with learning the correct techniques of animal rescue and handling, and then developed better systems for documentation, monitoring, data management, etc. I tried to bring in a more holistic and scientific rigor to the whole exercise of animal rescue thereby trying to improve effectiveness and success. I was able to do this, since I was also technically learning about the environment, data collection and analytical techniques, etc. while doing my postgraduate degree in Environmental Science. During the tenure, I also briefly worked on project management, networking and fund-raising, stakeholder management, etc. Having worked there close to 3 years, I reached out to the Co-Founder, Wildlife SOS, Kartick Satyanarayan, as I wanted to pursue a research degree in Wildlife and wanted to move ahead. He wanted me to continue for some more time and think about the possibilities, which is what I got into. I cleared my IELTS and started applying for various colleges and finally decided to end my tenure at Wildlife SOS and focus specifically on pursuing a PhD. However, the future had a different plan, when Jose Louies, the current Executive Director of another leading Wildlife Organization, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) asked me to join an interesting project. He wanted someone to go to Chennai Zoo and take care of 600+ Indian Star Tortoises that were confiscated at the Airport, and the forest department wanted to see if rehabilitation of these reptiles was possible. WTI had previously done a similar project and Jose wanted someone to be on the field to ensure all rehabilitation principles are followed for a couple of months. As I assumed this to be a couple of months project, I immediately took it up and moved to Chennai, staying there for more than 8 months. This was my first off-site field deployment back in 2011 and a thoroughly eye-opening project since I had to collaborate with various stakeholders including the forest department. After seeing this project to its completion, I joined WTI as I was asked to join them full time under the Wildlife Rescue Division at Noida. I decided to put my further studies on hold and accepted the offer, to finally work with WTI which lasted for over 9 years. At WTI I got exposed to Project Management, Financial Management, and processes for establishing, operating, and managing Wildlife Rescue Centers. WTI also gave me exposure to a network-based disaster response and to risk management systems including dedicated training with WTI’s institutional partner, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), based out of Cape Cod, Boston, US. During my tenure, I worked with various senior veterinarians such as Dr. Rathin Barman, Dr. Bhaskar Choudhury, Dr. Samshul Ali, Dr. Panjit Basumatary, Dr. Daoharu Baro and many more. I also worked closely with animal rehabilitation experts, biologists and various forest department officers and gradually transitioned from an on-the-ground field implementation officer to a manager. I also learned aspects of organizational building, HR Management, Scientific Documentation, and Animal Inclusive Disaster Response and Mitigation. I travelled to various exotic places in Northeast India, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, etc. I continued working with WTI till 2021 even through COVID and adapted to newer ways to organize and deliver. However, looking for a change and growth, I started exploring other avenues where my Project Management skills would be put to more use. I had briefly worked on some corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in WTI, and a position at HCLFoundation interested me to apply there. HCLFoundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India through its flagship programmes and special initiatives. As a not-for-profit organization, it strives to contribute towards national and international development goals, bringing about positive impact in the lives of people through long-term sustainable programmes. I was offered a position to take care of the Animal Welfare theme of the environment action flagship programme of HCLFoundation, Harit. HCLFoundation launched Harit – The Green Initiative, a distinct flagship programme for Environment Action; with the vision ‘to conserve, restore and enhance indigenous environmental systems and respond to climate change in a sustainable manner through community engagement.’ I joined HCLFoundation under the guidance of Dr. Santanu Basu, Project Director. I am currently working here as a Manager, Animal Welfare and lead the PAN-India Animal Welfare Interventions undertaken by Harit Programme of HCLFoundation. I apply my project management skills along with the thematic expertise in Animal Welfare to plan, implement and monitor CSR projects as per the board mandated programme. In addition, I also facilitate aspects of CSR Compliance, Fund Management, Auditing, etc. of the programme under guidance of Senior Management. How did you get your first break? As mentioned above, my first break in the field of Animal Welfare was through a private message from Siddharth Edake on the erstwhile social media platform Orkut to join Wildlife SOS. So, since I was already volunteering with a few individuals involved in animal rescue, especially snakes, I was part of various groups on social media. I used to frequently post there about snakes and asked questions and even after moving to Delhi wanted to connect with like-minded people. That’s when Siddharth wrote to me that they were looking for someone and on trial basis I can join his team. What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them? My first challenge was to convince my family and friends on the unconventional path I was treading on. Back in those days, and I am sure even now, just after completion of school education one is expected to take either of the two most popular streams – Engineering or Medical. I had topped my District in the 12 th Standard Board Examinations and was always expected to take either of this and excel in the same. I also became part of the cogwheel of numerous bricks that were making the wall of the society and applied for the joint entrance examinations. Due to some delay in the admissions under medical stream, I also accepted Engineering and studied for 3 months at Government Engineering College at Nanded. Upon confirmation of my admission in physiotherapy at Pune, I decided to take that up. Having done all this, when I suddenly decided to take a turn towards animal rescue and welfare, my family and friends were skeptical and tried talking me out of it. However, being a stubborn Scorpion, I decided to take it up anyway. The second challenge I felt was my lack of qualification in the field of Animal Welfare or ecology or veterinary sciences. Hence, I did an MSc in Environment sciences and even continued looking for further education. However, soon I realized that work is where one learns the maximum and one should not run just behind degrees. When one focuses on the work at hand, he/she is more accepted and respected. Another challenge I feel, when I retrospect is that, during my formative years, we did not have access to so much information and even careers were limited to Medical and Engineering, others being considered as vocational. I am aware that now this has changed, and youngsters have more access and exposure to their interest areas. Where do you work now? I currently work at HCLFoundation as a Senior Manager and have been here since October 2021. I look after the Animal Welfare thematic where we implement various strategies for addressing the welfare concerns of both community/free roaming and wild animals. My work revolves around various aspects of Project Management such as planning, financial management, implementation, monitoring and technical inputs. I work with various other thematic and sectoral leads along with senior leadership from HCLFoundation in implementation of CSR Agenda Driven Impactful work. Thematically, I am currently looking after projects solving the issue of increasing population and thereby conflict of free roaming dogs with humans; dedicated campaign on sustainable and responsible kite flying that otherwise affects numerous species of wildlife and sometimes even humans; addressing the problem of Rabies with a One health approach and other ancillary projects. Programmatically, I look at key government partnerships, compliance and audit of NGOs working under Harit Programme, fund management and reporting and to an extent other core activities of HCLFoundation. What are the skills required for your role? How did you acquire them? My technical skills of understanding Animal Welfare and its aspects is what governs my major work deliverables. In addition, an astute understanding of financial management, CSR Compliances and reporting, Accounting and Auditing, organizational management under relevant rules and regulations, team management, procurement and principles of disaster response and risk reduction are some of the other skills that I utilize at work. While some of these skills were part of my formative years, some skills I learned on the job, by reading, taking free courses, etc. What is a typical day like? My typical day starts with an old-school method of penning down the key tasks for the day in a diary. Then I go ahead and clear my mail, since I do not like having unread and cluttered mailboxes and ensure every mail, where response is required from my side, is done. I then go ahead with my planned tasks, meetings, phone calls and discussions with a larger team. I often get to travel to the project sites, and I prefer waking up early and doing all these administrative tasks before the field work starts. What do you love about your work? What I love about my job is the creative independence and at the same time the timely and prompt guidance from senior leadership including the board, Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President and Director Global CSR, HCLFoundation, Dr. Santanu Basu, Project Director, Harit, Ms. Simi Suri, General Manager, and many others including the larger team. Effectively working within a corporate discipline but in the development sector is a difficult mix to have, but the work culture inculcated within HCLTech and HCLFoundation makes it a breeze to work in. How does your work benefit society? Working for the CSR agenda for HCLTech, HCLFoundation’s work is entirely devoted towards the welfare of the planet and people. Our work encompasses an entire range from integrated community development projects to working in conservation of ecosystem processes in terrestrial as well as Marine environments. My work which is towards addressing the welfare concerns of community as well as wild animals also benefits the society through reduction in negative interactions between animals and people, controlling spread of diseases such as Rabies and bringing about a behavioural change in people towards their coexistence with animals. While our end-beneficiaries are animals, the co-benefits impact the communities and societies as well. Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you! This memory also led me to meet my better half whom I have been married to for over 6 years. As a wildlife veterinarian she and I had to deal with an emergency, when a leopard had taken refuge in a sugarcane field in the outskirts of Meerut, an agro-industrial town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, North India. The leopard had gotten trapped in a Jaw-Trap, which was originally laid by the farmers for catching jackals, wild boars, etc. Upon reaching the spot along with the local forest department, we realized that while managing the leopard might have been easier, managing the mob of over one thousand people who had gathered around for the “Mela”, was a tricky task. The sugarcane itself was ready for harvest and thus was like a forest of 10-12 ft. tall grass, with zero visibility. Requesting the local administration and forest department to manage the mob, my wife and I along with one forest department staff equipped with a gun, were lifted on an excavator of a JCB to enter the field and locate the leopard to tranquilize. After combing the field, we finally zeroed in on the location of the leopard and my wife with the best accuracy delivered the tranquilizer. At that moment we looked at each other and in all that excitement decided to be together. This memory is still fresh in our minds despite being almost a decade old, and often becomes a part of storytelling when we are with friends and family. Also to conclude, the leopard was successfully rescued, treated, and then released back in a wild area. Your advice to students based on your experience? I am not sure any advice would be prudent as every student has a different planned and actual career path that gets charted as an when he/she becomes mature. The only advice I could give is something that someone told me when I was transitioning across careers. Whichever career path one chooses to take, should fulfill him/her in a manner that one is content after the day’s work and happy to go back the next day. Money, workplace culture, benefits, team members, bosses, appreciation, rewards, etc. all being external factors will become ancillary and you will grow and rise no matter what. Another aspect to always remember is integrity which is an intrinsic trait, and it answers and affects only oneself. Future Plans? Currently, the future is a little open road. My idea is to create an impactful legacy and ensure these become sustainable. The day that is achieved, will take some other career path since learning never ends.
#J-18808-Ljbffr