Acknowledgements
Founder, Visionary and Enchanting Storyteller, @RARE since 2004
Since RARE India’s inception, Shoba has been the storyteller for India and her various nuances. A champion for discovering and promoting lesser known destinations with a strong focus on Conservation, Sustainability, Responsible Tourism aka Conscious Luxury, Shoba’s personal beliefs form the framework for RARE’s ethos. She believes that the long road to sustainability is as easy as ABC – it begins with Awareness, a solid Belief in the power of one to Choose wisely.
Surya’s jungle journey commenced in the forests of Satpura at Forsyth Lodge where he started as an intern and then later turned into a full-time naturalist. His love for wildlife and eagerness to learn led him to explore India’s special and rare mammals, birds, reptiles and butterflies. His award-winning photographs and documentation work have been used in journals and published widely in various wildlife magazines.
Faiza Mookerjee
Faiza grew up in the bustling capital city of New Delhi although she hails from the eastern state of West Bengal. Being the daughter of a wildlife conservationist and travel writer, her love for the natural world began at a very young age. Growing up, holidays generally meant accompanying her father to remote wilderness areas on project work and regularly trekking through the Himalayas. She started her career in the tourism world as a SCUBA divemaster at the age of 19 whilst simultaneously finishing her undergraduate studies in sociology.
Faiza grew up in the bustling capital city of New Delhi although she hails from the eastern state of West Bengal. Being the daughter of a wildlife conservationist and travel writer, her love for the natural world began at a very young age. Growing up, holidays generally meant accompanying her father to remote wilderness areas on project work and regularly trekking through the Himalayas. She started her career in the tourism world as a SCUBA divemaster at the age of 19 whilst simultaneously finishing her undergraduate studies in sociology.
Over time Faiza realized what she truly enjoyed was sharing her love for the natural world with others and felt this was a great tool in educating people and bringing about a closer connect to nature. She managed a wildlife lodge in the foothills of the Himalayas for two years and thereafter has worked in the travel industry curating and guiding wildlife tours. She has spent the last few years guiding in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, searching for the highly elusive snow leopard. Faiza also leads tours in the tiger reserves of Central India and rainforests of South India. She has edited a wonderful photographic field guide to the wildlife of South India. Coming from a background in sociology, Faiza takes great interest in how the native communities co-exist with wildlife in these wilderness areas and strongly believes that any sustainable tourism venture has to benefit the communities that live there.
In her spare time Faiza enjoys exploring new kinds of cuisine and enjoys cooking. She has a soft spot for trees and plants and has a wealth of knowledge on this subject. Her personal travel plans generally revolve around food and wildlife.
Avijit got his start as a Naturalist at Sunderban Tiger Camp and went to Satpura the following year as a Naturalist at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge. He was the first Naturalist at the newly built Jamtara Wilderness Camp and built up a team with the Manager over the next 4 seasons while also observing and tracking wildlife. He has led many tours and explorations mainly on wildlife, tribes and local cuisines across the Indian Subcontinent and extensively explored the forests of Jilling in eastern Kumaon and the forests of the Northeast.
Phalgun started off his journey in the Sal forests of Kanha Tiger Reserve, where he was trained to be a guide by AndBeyond (Taj Safaris). This gave him a solid understanding of outdoor safety, animal behaviour and how to tackle tricky topographical challenges. He was based in Central India working extensively in varied habitats, ranging from the golden grasslands of Panna to the towering Sal forests of Kanha. With an urge to see and show people more of our country’s magnificent wildlife, he started to guide in the rainforests of the Western Ghats and the Trans-Himalayan landscape of Ladakh focusing on everything from Snow leopards and Bearded vultures to amphibians, reptiles and lesser known mammals.
Aly has been the pioneering force behind Jehan Numa Wilderness and Expeditions that own and operate two wonderful eco-lodges, Reni Pani Jungle Lodge and Bori Safari Lodge on the fringes of Satpura Tiger Reserve. Hailing from the royal family of Bhopal, Aly has deep-rooted connection with the land, its people and the jungles
