Seema Meena is an assistant forester who patrols an area of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district. Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
Neem Chowki, Rajasthan: The Sunday that I was looking forward to finally dawned. Through curtains of mist and intermittent monsoon showers, the green hilly terrain of Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve sprung into view when I opened the doors of my room on the roof of a room at the Alanpur forest nursery near the Reserve.
At around 11 am, a forest guide arrived to take me to my destination, a 15-minute bike ride away: the Neem Chowki vanpal naka [forest check post] where Seema Meena, resides with her family. Seema is an assistant forester in the reserve, and this Sunday I will get a glimpse into one day of her life as she went about her field duties. Seema has been posted at Neem Chowki since 2019, a busy nook in the city of Sawai Madhopur, just under four kilometres to the Reserve, as the crow flies. The pink houses dotting the area remind one of Jaipur. Most of them have intricate designs on the surface made in black.
When I arrived at Seema’s house, I found her busy preparing ginger tea for me in the kitchen. The showers had stopped by then. The intended forest trail on foot with her looked promising.
For Seema though, Sunday is like just any other day.
Duty comes calling even when her two small children are at home, and need to be taken care of by a private tutor. “I joined as a van rakshak or forest guard in 2011. From that time till I came here in 2019, I was in charge of the Udan Dasta [Flying Squad], a camper-styled vehicle, always ready to rescue injured animals.”
Now, as an assistant forester, a rank senior to forest or beat guards, Seema starts her daily patrol around 7 am after a cup of tea, and seeing off her children to school in the bus.
On foot, in the forest
I relished Seema’s ginger tea. It was now time for an adventure in Zone Number Seven of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. Along with Seema, I was accompanied by two other forest guards.
The walk started from the gate leading to the jungle. It was a humid day: my black tee (shirt) clung to my body and sweat beaded on my forehead. Walking fast was impossible on the mud-drenched slippery track. In anticipation of the rains, I had ditched my leather shoes for slippers but now that seemed like a bad call: the slippers slowed me down at times.
But Seema was a welcome distraction, and she regaled me with her stories. “I have seen tigers and bears so many times during my walks. And the only thing I have is a stick for self-defence, which lasts two-three years and then I have to get a new one,” she said, falling in line with me.
There are days when Seema goes alone on her duty but usually, there are two people moving together. “Those on patrolling duty have to deal with a lot of issues. Angry people are one and wild animals are another and we have to deal with both. But if I do not go inside the forest I worry myself to death about what is happening.”
Seema was desperate for any job when she was offered as a forest guard in 2011. The forest initially made her nervous. But over time, she grew fond of it. But it also often means staying away from her children and husband, who is posted in the Railways in Sawai Madhopur.
“My duty has no fixed time. Even at night, I have been out on patrolling duty. My children sometimes urge me to stay with them. Sometimes, I come home late in the evening around 7.30-8 pm and then prepare dinner for the family.”
In winter, the walk is easy and enjoyable, she says. In summer, forest fires are a huge safety concern. During the monsoon, Seema and her forest guards have to be careful of snakes slithering on the forest floor.
After about ten minutes of walking, we saw pugmarks on the soft ground and Seema bent down to take pictures using the patrolling app on her phone. The fresh pawprints belonged to T139, a tigress.
“Sometimes tigers are quite close and yet we do not even come to know. In the monsoon, it is difficult to spot them due to the dense undergrowth.”
Seema recalled how once, as part of daily tiger monitoring, she had to search for one specific tiger for days. The tigress she was tracking was T61, which has since passed away. If for seven days, forest officials do not find the pugmarks of a particular tiger, efforts begin to find the animal.
But when she finally spotted the animal all of a sudden, her voice just failed her.
“I couldn’t even utter a word for a few seconds,” she said. Ranthambore is home to around 90 tigers and there are currently four tigers in the area that Seema patrols. Of the four, T8 and T127 are females and T58 and T139 are males.
But it is not just tigers that Seema has to be careful of; bears can attack suddenly too. But none of this stops Seema.
Though she is dedicated to her frontline duty, Seema’s health sometimes comes in the way. She has been advised by doctors to not consume spicy and oily food. And then there are those few days in a month when despite menstrual pains she has to carry on. “At times I cannot even change my pad and walking on foot becomes painful.”
Her job also involves dealing with people. In almost all of India’s tiger reserves and national parks, villages surround the forest and so is the case with Ranthambore. According to Seema, one of the biggest problems is preventing cattle from entering the forest for grazing.
“Villagers confront us when we try to tell them to take away their cattle elsewhere. Once I was involved in an incident of stone pelting. It was an encroachment case and at that time my daughter was just over a year old. A mob pelted stones at us. That’s why some women do not want to be inside jungles. When the day comes to an end, I know it has somehow passed and I am ready for more battles the next.”
Seema has been recognised for her dedication and courage – she was conferred with an award on the occasion of Environment Day on June 5. The Rajasthan Environment and Energy Conservation Centre, an organisation based in Jaipur, awarded her with the Environment Excellency Award for contribution to wildlife conservation and environment. On August 15, 2022, the office of the district collector, Sawai Madhopur, also recognised her efforts to protect forests.
A heavenly view
As the four of us finally started trudging uphill, the view of hills layered one behind the other looked heavenly. A zephyr cooled down the heated body. We emptied water bottles within seconds and rested for a few moments before the downhill journey back.
Seema said that when they run out of water in peak summers, the staff drink from nullahs. But in monsoon, it is not safe.
“My skin colour has changed. When I go to my village, people comment on my tan but they do not realise how tough life is inside a forest. My father keeps on worrying. But I told him not to disturb senior officers. I once brought him here so that he can see first-hand what I do.”
Like with the rest of her work, there are no fixed mealtimes for Seema. She has roti-sabzi in the morning and brings roasted chickpeas, apples and biscuits along with her in a bag to eat whenever she gets the time. There are times when she regrets missing weddings and family functions. My relatives do not understand, she says. “Once I packed my luggage and was ready to leave for the village but had to cancel at the last moment.”
On Sundays, Seema makes dal-bati, and that’s what she served me after we got back from the forest. She admitted there have been those mad moments when she felt like leaving the job but she needs the money to run a family.
Her days begin at 5 am, when she gets up to make breakfast for her children and help get ready for school. After a brief rest at noon, she again goes to the forest. There isn’t much to do after coming back in the evening but quickly prepare dinner and hit the bed by 11 pm to be ready for more the next morning.
Spending a day shadowing Seema gave me an insight into the tremendous efforts that go into – and the complexities that come with – the conservation of forests and wildlife. While it is easy to sing praises about the work that forest officials put in, it is also important to recognise their toils.
Deepanwita Gita Niyogi is a freelance reporter who writes, among other topics, on the environment.