This new book chronicles the courage of 14 Indian women forest rangers protecting the country’s wild spaces

RFO Chhabukanta Bhadange

This month, the world is talking about Indian women making history on the cricket field. It seems like the right time to spotlight those who have been making moves on a different kind of green terrain. Range Forest Officer Chhabukanta Bhadange, for instance, who locked eyes with a tiger in the thick bamboo fields of Khadki in 2008; or ‘Crocodile Queen' Assistant Forester Prem Kunwar Shaktawat, who built India's first floating crocodile trap in Rajasthan's Kota last year.

In Rangers: Women Reshaping The Conservation (Sahitya Prasar Kendra), conservationist and founder of female empowerment organisation Exploring Womanhood Foundation, Deepali Atul Deokar, documents stories from 14 women from the Indian Forest Department.

Forest Guard Amrapali Padghan has documented nearly 85 butterflies

"The image of forest protection has largely been shaped by men. When I moved to Gadchiroli to accompany my husband Atul Deokar [currently Divisional Forest Officer with the MFD], I met these women on the field. I quickly realised their stories weren't only about duty and employment, but also about courage, resilience and sacrifice," says Deokar. Through in-person interactions and online submissions, Deokar has compiled 14 of the most thrilling tales.

Courage being the key word, we'd say. In 2008, RFO Bhadange received a call from villagers on the Nagpur-Wardha highway. An elusive tiger had been sighted in a bamboo field. Fast forward to her close encounter with the big cat, she recalls in the book, "Before I could shout, "Tiger", the animal leapt forward. In sheer fear, I stumbled backward, crashing through bamboo, and across a stream. My heart pounded like a drum."

RFO Rashmita Jena on patrol in Odisha. PICS COURTESY/DEEPALI DEOKAR

While Bhadange lives to retell this hair-raising encounter, Forest Guard Priya Brahmankar recalls the tranquil forests of the Tadoba Buffer Zone; the kind of silence that meant a predator was always around. "A tiger, barely 10 steps away, stood face to face with us. It neither moved, nor attacked. It simply observed, and turned back. Perhaps, it is because when you respect nature, it respects you back," she believes.

The book traces the length and breadth of India, with similar stories from Kashmir and Meghalaya, to Gujarat and Rajasthan, all retold in simple English. "The goal was to make the book easy to consume for all ages," Deokar says. "My six-year-old daughter has been poring over the stories. She wishes we had featured a glossary of terms like conservation and patrolling for young readers. We're working on a new edition to include the section," she reveals.

Deepali Deokar

Backed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the book will soon make its way to national parks and sanctuaries across the country. "Before that, we're working on distributing the books among youth in underserved areas. If these stories spark a passion for the wild in even one of them, our job here is done," she signs off.

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