Women’s Day 2003 | Ratna Singh: Working in tiger reserves was beginning of a big change

“Working with various forest departments and tiger reserves was just the beginning of being a small part of the big change that took over a decade to happen. “I conducted an all-female training batch for the Satpura Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) in 2022. It was the first time that female safari guides were trained, which added to the number of existing male guides. They started going on the field sporting the safari guide uniform and that changed the scene for all,” shares the 40-year-old.

Standing against patriarchy was never easy. Singh recalls when she was about to begin her first session, she received a call from a village elderly who tried to dissuade her from training women in the village. “I always knew no one can love forests like natives. So, I was aware that just a little push and the women from the village community would change the course of time. A forest department official once suggested to train young girls and I was ready for it,” says Singh.

Being a proud trainer and in the field for 17 years, Singh has been giving her all to her job.

“I am happy and at peace when I see how these training sessions has not only changed things for the jungles but also for the people living around. Pachmarhi is one of oldest tourism spot of Madhya Pradesh. Of late, I have been preparing training modules targeting rural areas. It was on my mind to add conservation of forests in a bigger way. The area was full of trash and after the session with 150-200 guides, that I got to train in that particular month of 2021, tonnes of plastic was wiped from the hill station. Twice in month the drive is carried by the young guides and felicitated by the department.”

On concluding note Singh says, “From where I started, as being among a few female park safari guides in the country, to what it is today there is a huge paradigm shift. For example, I met one of my old trainees, a widow with three kids who left her role of village sarpanch to be a park safari guide. She said ‘pehle mei sabka kaam karti thhi ab sab mera karte hai’.”