“I was born and raised in the forest amongst tigers, rhinos and elephants. As a kid, hunting birds with my boys was my favourite thing to do. The day I shot a spotted dove and separated it from its pair became the turning point in my life. I was only a kid but that incident left a lasting effect on my conscience. This guilt did not let me sleep. From the next day, I vowed never to kill any birds. Instead, I started using my time to learn about birds, their nests, the numbers of eggs they lay, the shape of their beaks and the pattern in their wings. At night I would study about these birds and learn about their English names. As I grew older and spent more time in the forest, I became passionate towards wildlife and conservation. And as I learnt more, many things started to worry me. I started to see the there were more people in villages, in towns and cities. The rivers were drying up and the forests were being wiped out for farmland and human settlement. Birds and animals were losing their habitat rapidly and the numbers of many species were dwindling. Without these birds and animals, I had no meaning. I knew I needed to do something. And I also knew it was not possible without educating the community and garnering their support.

At first, there were many who were opposed to my idea of creating a habitat for the vultures where they could come and feed. The idea was to allocate land where old and dying domestic animals could be bought and after they died fed to the vultures. But there was a stigma against vultures. They were thought to be impure and that they would bring bad luck. But along with my friends and co-workers, we went ahead even though some still remained opposed to it. Once the ‘Vulture Restaurant’ started running, the number of vultures started increasing, we started finding more nests and today, we monitor their migration. It has not only saved these birds but provided them with a long-term habitat. Many ornithologists, researchers, scientists and tourists come to visit the facility and the community is happy to see the change we have collectively brought. Those who were opposed to the idea are now on board and boast about the wonderful facility. And jokingly, I ask them, “Are Vultures pure for you now? And we all laugh together.”