[Today Bonphool is very popular honey brand at the national level. It was created six years back. I never spoke openly claiming on its success. The entire journey of success has been long and result of contribution from many individuals. I will be sharing the entire journey in series.]
I grew up in a rural environment where financial
struggles were part of everyday life. Watching my parents and the people around
me work hard just to sustain their livelihoods, shaped my perspective early on
and instilled in me a strong desire to work on improving the lives of the most
vulnerable.
My keen interest in
wildlife led me to pursue a degree in forestry, followed by a Master’s from the
College of Forestry in Kodagu, Karnataka—a region known for its coffee
plantations with abundant forest full of elephant all around it. Coffee plantation
with natural tree covers attracts all the wildlife. Regular movement of
elephant cause lot of damage to coffee plantation.
Over the years, several measures have been
attempted to mitigate this conflict—from elephant-proof trenches and electric
fencing to the use of bee-box barriers. Yet, elephants, being highly
intelligent, have gradually adapted to many of these interventions.
During my time there, there was discussion on an idea:
what if coffee grown in elephant-affected plantations could be branded and
marketed with a conservation narrative? A product that tells a story—appealing
to global consumers to support elephant conservation while compensating farmers
for their losses. However, the idea remained confined to discussions.
From then on, the concept continued to incubate
in my mind. Wherever I went, whichever forest landscape I visited, I kept
returning to the same thought: can conservation be made economically meaningful
for people living in human–wildlife conflict zones? I began to think of
branding and value addition for products originating from such landscapes.
During my training IFS
training period at Indira Gandhi National Forest
Academy, I continued to explore similar ideas—envisioning
wildlife-linked branding (such as tiger landscapes) as a means to generate
livelihood opportunities and offset human–wildlife conflict. While these ideas
were appreciated in discussions, they did not translate into action.
A similar response
followed during a one-week training module at the Indian Institute of Forest Management. The
concept was acknowledged as innovative, yet seen as impractical for field-level
execution.
My first attempt to
translate this vision into practice came in Amkhoi village in Birbhum district,
where I worked towards promoting ecotourism through the development of a fossil
park. The initiative gained local popularity and began creating livelihood
opportunities for tribal communities. However, due to my transfer, several planned
interventions could not be fully realized.
It was only after
taking charge in South 24 Parganas district that I found an opportunity to work
directly in a wildlife landscape and begin implementing an idea that was
incubating in my mind for nearly 18 years—integrating conservation with
livelihood support by creating value around human–wildlife coexistence.
