An epitome of confidence and courage
by M.T. Yogesh Kumar
Her confidence and fearlessness deserves to be commended. Her work in dense forest in close proximity of wild animals needs a special mention of her courage.
The woman in question is Netra Gowda, who is serving as a Guard in Forest Department posted at Bandipur Forest Range. A native of Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district, she is the daughter of Timmappa Gowda and Mahadevi. She is learnt to have landed as a Forest Guard not by choice but by chance and has been serving for the last six years.
About six years ago, Netra was an Arts student at SDM College in Honnavar. A friend of hers was learnt to have given her an application form for the post of Forest Guard. She then filled the form rather casually and submitted to the Forest Department. To her surprise, she got through the written test and was selected for the post of Forest Guard and was posted to Bandipur Forest Range.
On the first day of her posting she was taken by the Forest Department staff in a jeep into the forest for getting her familiar to the wild environment. By sheer coincidence, the jeep was attacked by a wild elephant and Netra was terribly upset and shaken to the core. She even confessed to her parents about her inability to get used to the harsh facts of working in the forest. However, Netra was encouraged by her sister Jaya and parents not to give up and was instilled courage to face the odds in her career.
Netra took up her job with confidence, girt and courage and there was no looking back since then.
Now, Netra is a member of a team of four forest guards entrusted with patrolling an area of 12.75 sq.km of Kadamattur Katte belt near Maralahalla Camp in Bandipur Forest Range.
She has encountered ‘Prince’, the popular tiger, a couple of times during her patrolling duty. She has also recently seen Prince’s offspring Madesh with its mate and three cubs in the deep forest, not to mention leopards and wild elephants.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Netra said “I was very afraid in the beginning to venture into the forest alone, but I received a lot of encouragement from my colleagues and parents. Now I am very confident and proud to be a forest guard. The initial reluctance is no more and now I am effectively managing the responsibility I am entrusted with by the Department and feel at home in the forest amid wildlife.”
Project Tiger Director Mallesh speaking to Star of Mysore said that all the staff serving in the Bandipur Forest Range were provided with all facilities
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / March 12th, 2016