GENCF whispering wilds
G. SHAHEED
G. Shaheed is a leading environmental journalist in Kerala, renowned for his outstanding contributions to environmental protection and wildlife conservation. With a remarkable career spanning 42 years at Mathrubhumi, a prominent newspaper in Kerala, Shaheed played a pivotal role in pioneering environmental initiatives. He was instrumental in the Save Silent Valley campaign, a landmark movement in Kerala's environmental history.
Throughout his career at Mathrubhumi, Shaheed held key positions, including Chief Reporter in the New Delhi Bureau and Bureau Chief Cochin. Even after retiring from full-time service, he continues to contribute to Mathrubhumi's online platform, maintaining his influence and commitment to environmental journalism.
Shaheed's work is not confined to Kerala alone. He has traveled extensively across India and built strong connections with environmentalists both nationally and internationally. His writings, which include wildlife articles for Frontline magazine and regular wildlife reports for Yathra magazine over the past 15 years, have been widely acclaimed.
In addition to his journalism career, Shaheed has also served as a legal reporter, offering his expertise on environmental legal matters. He has been an active member of the Cochin University Senate and the Kerala Wildlife Board, contributing to policy-making and academic discourse on environmental issues.
G. Shaheed's dedication to environmental journalism and conservation has made him a respected figure in his field. His legacy continues to inspire and guide efforts towards protecting and preserving our natural world.
Dr. Mithilesh Dutta Dwivedi
A renowned ornithologist in Jharkhand, holding a postgraduate degree in Zoology and a Doctorate in the Study of Birds from Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribag. His thesis focused on the avian diversity of Bokaro District.
He has made significant contributions to bird observation reports and guided many birders. As a member of the IBCN - BNHS, he has presented numerous research papers at national and international conferences. His published works include studies on the avian diversity of Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary, the first breeding record of the Lesser Adjutant in Bokaro District, and reports on the Asian Water Bird Census in Jharkhand.
He has authored several important papers and contributed to the biodiversity documentation of Jharkhand. His involvement as a resource person in nature camps organized by WWF and the forest department has been noteworthy.
Through his dedication and expertise, Mr. Dwivedi has become a key figure in ornithology and wildlife conservation in Jharkhand.
Arnab Basu
Arnab Basu, is an environmentalist by training and profession and a wildlife enthusiast by hobby. He has more than two decades of experience in advisory work on sustainability, nature-based solution, and environmental law. He did his graduation in Botany from University of Calcutta and post-graduation in Environment Management from Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM), Calcutta. He also holds a post graduate diploma in Environmental Law from National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore.
As part of his academic and voluntary work, he conducted assessment of urban and sub urban biodiversity at Kolkata, Salt Lake Wetland, South Bengal (West Bengal). He conducted Study on Joint Forest Management and Wild Life in South West Bengal under the supervision of Department of Forest, Govt. of West Bengal and under the joint guidance of Environment Management department of IISWBM and National Afforestation and Eco-development Board, Govt. of India. He also has successfully completed jungle survival course under Jungle Survival Academy of India.
Previously he authored couple of books on contemporary sustainability and environmental justice related issues, such as The Journey through Holocene: National and Global situation of sustainability in this decade (2010-2020), and A Silver Lining in the “Ease of Doing Business” Conundrum: India’s One and Only Green Tribunal. He has also published multiple articles on wildlife, nature-based solution, ecotourism, sustainability and environmental issues in various national and international magazines.
Rhea Khanna
Creative writer, former marketing and communications professional, a Nature lover settled in Singapore.
Rhea is a postgraduate in Human Resource Management and after completing her course she worked for ICFAI and Amity Business Schools authoring case studies for management students that were published on an international platform. Later she joined the CSR unit of Lifestyle retail in Mumbai (LIFE Foundation) where she worked as a Communications manager and developed training and marketing content. She also worked for Toolbox India Foundation where she developed case studies on consulting work undertaken by Toolbox for other NGOs. She took a sabbatical after that due to parenting and caregiving responsibilities. She has been involved with an international HR community in Hong Kong and Singapore since 2022 where she moved later and she helps out with events and content creation from time to time. She is currently based in Singapore.
Rhea is a people's person, has a creative bent of mind, is a nature lover and an aspiring entrepreneur!
Abhita Nandy Chatterjee
She is an engineer by training and a senior banker by profession. Her interest in forests and wildlife started from going on birding trips with her husband. From visiting the Shibpur Botanical Garden in Howrah and Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary in Baruipur,it started as a recreation and then went on to become her passion. Family trips became wildlife expeditions. From the tropical forests of Uttarakhand to the Chhotanagpur plateau, to the northeast mountains, she kept on moving more towards her passion.
But she realised soon that although wildlife was the key to the balance of survival, we are hell bent on exploiting it rather than conserving it. This made her feel helpless as the situation of wildlife in India is pathetic. So, she now wants to make a change among people so that they understand the importance of wildlife.
Since then she has been working towards creating awareness on a small scale. Reaching out to people to make them realise how exploitation of nature will ultimately finish everything.
So she feels that this platform will create awareness on a much larger scale and spread knowledge and enthusiasm about the importance of the flora and fauna around us.
Dyuti Karmakar
With a blend of art, research and communication, Dyuti aims to educate the common masses about the environment. She believes, research should travel beyond peer-reviewed journals or elite magazines to the medias that are accessible to everyone. She has started a series named Dyuti’s Nature Comics, a comics journalism initiative, where her art simplifies the complex world of conservation for a diverse audience. She has won various poster making competitions and bagged prizes for creative writing while solidifying her foundation in Zoology. Her interest to know and deal with real world problems related to wildlife conservation, shapes her dreams, whereas creativity and knowledge pushes her forward. So far, her achievements are few, but her passion remains intact.
In her own words:
I want to acquire knowledge about wildlife conservation and spread awareness. Only a few percentage of people are privileged enough to learn about wildlife conservation. Once we educate more people about Mother Nature, the feeling of gratefulness for her resources shall be instilled in the minds of many.
ojaswi singh
Ojaswi Singh is a Fine Arts (Applied Arts) student whose creative practice lies at the intersection of design, photography, and environmental storytelling. As the graphic designer for this magazine, she blends visual aesthetics with meaningful communication to make conservation narratives more engaging and accessible. With a deep interest in wildlife and nature photography, Ojaswi believes that visuals have the power to influence perception and inspire responsibility. Through thoughtful layouts, compelling imagery, and research-driven design. Her artistic journey is shaped by curiosity about the natural world and a desire to contribute meaningfully to wildlife awareness. By combining artistic sensitivity with communication design, she aims to ensure that conservation conversations move beyond scientific circles and reach the everyday reader. Ojaswi has actively participated in creative projects, art competitions, and photography explorations that strengthen her visual language and conceptual thinking. While she continues to build her professional journey, her passion for wildlife and art remains the core of her work.
