Do what you love doing by your heart – Sachin Sharma

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Ghoomophiro

Team Ghoomophiro was lucky to get some time to chat with Sachin Sharma, Senior Naturalist at Singinawa Jungle Lodge, Kanha. Sharing some excerpts from his exciting journey.

Ghoomophiro: Plz let our readers know about you?

SS: I am Sachin Sharma, working as a Senior Naturalist at Singinawa Jungle Lodge. I am from Jodhpur (Rajasthan) where I had done my studies (B.Com and MBA in Finance) and also have started working as an Operations Assistant. After working for almost 8 years, I decided to join the Hospitality industry and worked as an Executive Operation in a Company where we would provide Audio Guide to the tourist visiting the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. This was the place where I came to know about the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park and this was the place where I had started my career as a Naturalist.
Ghoomiphiro : Why did you choose to be a naturalist?

SS: Since my childhood, I used to get fascinated by naturalists working in the National Geographic and Discovery Channels and would think that interesting work these guys do. This is what made me have a dream to become a Naturalist.

Ghoomiphiro: Who is your inspiration?

SS: Truly speaking, nobody was aware of being a Naturalist. Jodhpur didn’t have much awareness about the Naturalist profile. So all the Naturalist on the TV were my inspiration.
Ghoomiphiro: Did you face pushback from your family on choosing this out of box profession?

SS: Yes. As I had done my studies in Finance sector, everyone at home thought that I should be in this field. All family members, friends, everyone opposed this and they thought that there is no such thing (Naturalist). But slowly when they saw reviews about me posted on Facebook, TripAdvisor, etc. they realized that I am doing something and now they are happy that I had chosen being a Naturalist.

Ghoomiphiro: What are the most common challenges you thing every naturalist’s face?

SS: There is no particular course for being a Naturalist or else it’s very much restricted to some particular regions of the country only. Most of the Naturalist which you will meet are either MBA, BE, MSc. or something else.
Ghoomiphiro: How does your regular day look like?

SS: For most of the people working as a Naturalist, our working months are from October to June, as this is the time when most of the National Parks are opened. So during this period our morning starts at around 4-4.30, as we have to get up early for the morning drives which last from 3-5 hours. Then we get a break for around 1-2 hours where we have to freshen up, have lunch and again get ready for the afternoon safaris which lasts for around 3 hours and then we are back to the lodge. After this, we sit with the guest for some chitchat about the jungles and also discussion about the next day morning.
This a normal schedule of a Naturalist. Apart from this when we don’t have safaris, we would be busy with writing Blogs, taking Pictures, reading or doing some official work. When we are off to home after 9 months, we would plan for some excursion to other areas to explore the wildlife in different parts of the country/world.

Ghoomiphiro: Share 1-2 most memorable experiences during this journey?

SS: That’s a tough question, as being in the Natural World is always memorable and every moment will give you something or the other experience. But to share with you here, before entering in the World of Natural History, I was extremely scared of Lizards and would run away from those areas, as I thought that it would bite me and I will die. 🙂 But after coming to this field, I now am 100% comfortable with most of the things.
Apart from this, there have been some close encounters with the Natural World where it could be a Tiger, Leopard, Wild Dogs, Deer, Birds, Snakes, Spider, etc.
Ghoomiphiro: Any piece of advice to the ghoomophiro readers who are interested in pursuing Naturalist as career :

SS: Friends, if you want to be a Naturalist, there are nowadays some Organizations that are providing training for being a Naturalist. This is a very big help. Apart from this, being a Naturalist is 100% dependent on your interest in working in the Natural World. If you are not interested in this, after a few times it will become a burden and you will turn into a totally different thing. And also keep yourselves involved in the Natural World reads, videos, etc, which would help you develop your interest in this field.

Apart from this, one very important thing is that “Do what you love doing by your heart, which will give you 100% satisfaction”. Till that be happy and be safe.