Chiplun-based Malhar Indulkar

Hailing from a family of agricultural activists from Chiplun in Maharashtra, Indulkar is a graduate of Udaipur's Swaraj University. "After Class XII, I took part in a two-year programme at Swaraj University. The programme makes one rethink development and its consequences on the natural habitat. The two years proved to be a changing point in my life, and I knew I had to dedicate my life to the environment and its species and do away with the idea of a mainstream job," he tells us.

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During the programme, Indulkar interned with the Nityata River Otter Conservancy (NROC) and the course of his life changed. "I was working in the Karnataka part of the Kaveri river, which involved surveying otters and assessing threats to them. I realised that the conservation of otters is highly important for the health of a river because these creatures eat up all the sick fishes in the water body, restricting the spread of diseases to other fish."

The NROC later on posted Indulkar in Chiplun's Vashishti River. "There again, we did population estimation and threat assessment of the species. In Vashishti, too, the number of otters had been declining over the years."

At present, with a little support from NROC and Sanctuary Asia's Mud on Boots Project, Indulkar is implementing innumerable initiatives to convince his community to protect their beautiful land and the aquatic species. The Mud on Boots Project aims to empower unsung grassroots conservationists across India.

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