Photos: Take a walk on the wild side with naturalist Sangita S Mani

By Anesha George

Updated On Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

Taj Safaris naturalist Sangita S Mani’s job sounds suspiciously like a paid vacation. She spends most of her time touring national parks or ushering guests around on nature walks. Here are images from her time on the job, taken at the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

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Sangita S Mani with a non-venomous buff-striped keelback. A naturalist with Taj Safaris, Mani, 39, is based in the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh and is responsible for planning customised tours and nature walks for guests.(Photo by Narayana)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

Sangita S Mani with a non-venomous buff-striped keelback. A naturalist with Taj Safaris, Mani, 39, is based in the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh and is responsible for planning customised tours and nature walks for guests.(Photo by Narayana)

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There’s nothing routine about her job, Mani says, and that’s one of the things she really enjoys about it. “I love the unpredictability that living in the wilderness brings, which involves casually stumbling upon a commander butterfly basking in the sun.”(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

There’s nothing routine about her job, Mani says, and that’s one of the things she really enjoys about it. “I love the unpredictability that living in the wilderness brings, which involves casually stumbling upon a commander butterfly basking in the sun.”(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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A hard ground barasingha or swamp deer feeds on aquatic vegetation. “This is a very special species of deer found only in Kanha and now Satpura after relocation,” Mani explains.  (Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

A hard ground barasingha or swamp deer feeds on aquatic vegetation. “This is a very special species of deer found only in Kanha and now Satpura after relocation,” Mani explains. (Photo by Sangita Mani)

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On hot summer days, she often sees tigers lounging in watering holes within the park. A particularly precious memory was watching a tigress stalk a young swamp deer fawn near one such water body. “All the other safari vehicles had moved ahead and we were the only ones to witness it. It was unforgettable,” she says.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

On hot summer days, she often sees tigers lounging in watering holes within the park. A particularly precious memory was watching a tigress stalk a young swamp deer fawn near one such water body. “All the other safari vehicles had moved ahead and we were the only ones to witness it. It was unforgettable,” she says.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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Though she’s gone down the same paths hundreds of times, each time the experience is different, Mani says. “Sometimes I just stop to capture something like beautiful fungi growing on a dead tree.”(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

Though she’s gone down the same paths hundreds of times, each time the experience is different, Mani says. “Sometimes I just stop to capture something like beautiful fungi growing on a dead tree.”(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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An Indian muntjac or barking deer peers through thick foliage. Being a naturalist is not so much a job as a way of life, Mani says. “Each one of us can be one, regardless of the jungle we live in — urban or otherwise. Be conscious of your surroundings,” she says.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

An Indian muntjac or barking deer peers through thick foliage. Being a naturalist is not so much a job as a way of life, Mani says. “Each one of us can be one, regardless of the jungle we live in — urban or otherwise. Be conscious of your surroundings,” she says.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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At the moment, Mani has taken time off from the field, to care for her 13-month-old son. She still goes on walks and drives from time to time. On one such recent jaunt, she saw this female giant wood spider making a meal of a common tailorbird trapped in her web.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

At the moment, Mani has taken time off from the field, to care for her 13-month-old son. She still goes on walks and drives from time to time. On one such recent jaunt, she saw this female giant wood spider making a meal of a common tailorbird trapped in her web.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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An Indian scops owl in its roost. “Birds are the easiest entryway into nature, and once you start appreciating them, they give you so much joy,” Mani says.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

An Indian scops owl in its roost. “Birds are the easiest entryway into nature, and once you start appreciating them, they give you so much joy,” Mani says.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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A white-throated kingfisher at Kanha. Mani confesses that she is on a secret mission to convert every person she meets into a bird enthusiast. "It takes the pressure off me to find a tiger!" she laughs.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

Updated on Dec 18, 2021 12:47 pm IST

A white-throated kingfisher at Kanha. Mani confesses that she is on a secret mission to convert every person she meets into a bird enthusiast. "It takes the pressure off me to find a tiger!" she laughs.(Photo by Sangita Mani)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anesha George

Anesha is a features writer, sometimes a reader, who loves to eat and plan fitness goals she can never keep. She writes on food, culture and youth trends. Read Less ...Read More

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