Ashish Tirkey (PFM 2007-09) is an Eco-tourism & Wildlife Professional. He is currently working as Assistant General Manager with Pug Dundee Safaris where he is managing their luxury property- “Treehouse Hideaway” (www.treehousehideaway.com). He enjoys hosting guests at the lodge, leading his team by setting high standards for a world-class guest experience, tracking tigers, and organizing photo safaris in Bandhavgarh National Park. Before Pug Dundee safaris, he served as an Eco-tourism consultant and worked as a Resident lodge manager with Jungle lodges & Resorts Ltd., Karnataka, managing their wildlife camps in BRT Tiger reserve & Daroji Sloth bear Sanctuary. He loves to capture myriad hues of Indian wildlife from the smallest butterfly species to our national pride – The Royal Bengal Tiger. His passion involves photographing and documenting in extreme weather conditions to exhibit the natural world as never before. He is an instrumentalist, a versatile photographer, an incredibly dynamic person in the field, a wildlife explorer, hailing from the land of tribal – Bastar. He also loves farming, traveling, reading, and storytelling.
Website – www.ashishtirkey.com
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashish-tirkey/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ashish.abraham.tirkey/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ashish_wildlife/
Q) How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A) Just Brilliant!! My journey started with a dream in 2006, during my preparation days for CAT when IIFM popped up at the notice board of my Coaching Center. Never knew that it was possible to make a career shift (180 degrees from Mechanical Engineering to Forestry) and jump into the wild domain. I was skeptical at the beginning of my course but as the layers unraveled from our 2-year PGDFM Program, the stepping stone was firmly laid by our Seniors, Faculty Members, and Alumni, and by the end of my first year in IIFM, I knew I wanted to make my career in Wildlife and Forestry.
Q) What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A) Key milestones
• Developing an Eco-tourism-based business model for the forest department in Tadoba National Park
• It gives immense satisfaction to see my work displayed and shared on various social media platforms, wildlife and travel magazines, brochures, calendars, hoardings in Karnataka, MP Tiger Foundation Society, Field Guide Books, TOI, Websites, and above all various places at our beloved IIFM ?
• Our lodge Treehouse hideaway ranked at no.1 position in Bandhavgarh amongst all (32) lodges & resorts for 2 consecutive years in Trip Advisor.
• Shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award 2019 (London, UK)
Key learnings
• Wildlife photography
• Documentary filmmaking
• Eco-lodge construction & Sustainable tourism practices
• Team building, coaching & mentoring local boys for exceptional guest experience
• People management skills
• Social media marketing & Online promotions
Q) What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A) The most satisfying part of my current role is – I don’t have to pay for my wildlife safaris!! I am paid to successfully run an Eco-lodge (www.treehousehideaway.com) at Bandhavgarh National Park owned by Pugdundee Safaris. Most of my in-house guests book safaris with us and I have the privilege to accompany them or even mentor them on safaris for tracking tigers and other wildlife. It’s overwhelming, but sometimes very tiring, when I am out in the wild continuously for 10 plus safaris without a break full day from 5.30 AM to 7 PM (during summers). But, I tell you it’s all worth it when you have that Nat Geo/BBC kind-of wildlife moments. Recently, in mid-June, I did 11 safaris back to back with Raveena Tandon and her family. We saw 10 different tigers. Marvelous sightings amidst rains!
(Read more>>) https://www.ashishtirkey.com/celebrities-on-tiger-safari-india/
Once you start learning, understanding, and recognizing the rules of Jungle, tracking individual tigers, and being a part of some breath-taking natural history moments (like, once I saw mating flying squirrels gliding from one tree to another in BRT Tiger reserve – wild dogs chasing a male leopard in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, a young tigress nurturing her 2-month-old cubs in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and many more). You feel like sharing, exhibiting, and finding those moments again and again in the wild. It’s addictive and I feel blessed that I have always lived and worked at the heart of national parks both in the South as well as in Central India. It’s my second home, away from home!!
Q) Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A) Absolutely! Forestry Management is the core of IIFM and my learning’s helped me a lot during my Eco-tourism consultancy project with the Maharashtra forest department, Agroforestry project in Durg (C.G), and also to educate young kids about wildlife conservation & sustainable learnings in various village schools, colleges and with all kind of guests. I still remember the wonderful learning experiences in all the fieldwork, visiting agroforestry-based projects in MP, Uttarakhand, and Karnataka while staying at forest rest houses, and the internship at Gir National Park which taught me the finer nuances of this domain.
Q) Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A) My mentors YD Sir, Amitabh Pandey Sir, Suprava Maám, Rekha Maám, Ashish David Sir & Biswas Sir. Among my IIFM seniors Kallol Sir, Srey Sir, Sudeep Kodialbail Sir, Kunal Sharma Sir, S. Karthik Sir (Chief naturalist JLR), my boss Manav Khanduja Sir and my father Mr. Abraham Tirkey.
Also, while growing up watching Nat Geo Documentaries, I realized my inclination was towards photography and filmmaking. It was with that zeal, to watch these amazing animals, especially ‘Big Cats’. That was when I decided to pursue my career in this field.
Sincere Advice:
Just Go for it, if you would love to spend the rest of your life in the Jungles. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea to stay in remote locations – away from the hustle and bustle of city life. If you love wildlife and forest, this is The Job For You! You may also like to explore yourself as an Eco-tourism Manager at various national parks, work with the forest department on various projects (which sometimes are very nomadic), start conceptualizing and developing community-based nature tourism projects, run your own safari company, set up your wildlife lodge, assist wildlife photographers or Nat Geo/BBC explorers, or the best of the lot BECOME AN IFS OFFICER!!
Q) What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A) My batchmates were fond of sports & cultural activities, so I thoroughly enjoyed playing carom (till 4 in the morning), badminton & volleyball apart from playing Guitar with them. Weekends were bliss. We hung out at our mess, Veerji’s canteen, and the favorite lawn in front of the library! We had a great time with the movie club which used to screen movies on the classroom projector every weekend night. I still remember the late-night outs, and of course our IIFM parties with seniors as well as juniors.
Q) In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, alumni.. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A) Our IIFM faculties are so rich in their knowledge and expertise that whenever we reach out for help they have extended their hands to guide us. I am indebted to them, my seniors, and alumni for sharing their vast experiences, key learnings, and molding me into the person I am today.
Q) The best buddies/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A) Kallol Mandal & Sudeep Kodialbail Sir. These evergreen champs of my senior batch had a different aura amongst us. Be it in sports, academics, or photography. I bought my first Prosumer with Kallol Sir at 10 number market and that’s how my journey started. Same with Sudeep Sir who introduced me to the world of DSLRs with his Nikon D90, enticing me to go to the next level.
Y.D sir, Amitabh Sir & Suprava Maám always supported my take on Eco-tourism and wildlife-related jobs. I was fascinated by YD Sir’s examples from his WII days and Suprava Maám’s lectures on Environment.
To name a few best buddies, my roomie Lakshya Chauhan (Pahadi from Chakrota, Uttarakhand), Pawan Lakra (SRCC breed), Ritwajit Das (RD), Sudhanshu Agarwal (Sudi), Shweta Sharma, Anushree Shukla, Jitendra Balani, Salma Nahid, Sushrut Chauhan, John Mangesh and Nipun Mahato (MRM) made some memorable days for me at IIFM. Pawan and I were like the best buddies, also named Jai Veeru of PFM 2009. We excelled in every sport, except in our first-year academics. Once we went to drop Anushree for our Trimester break at Bhopal Railway Station, and we all were so engaged in our IIFM talks and gossips that she missed her train which stood right in front of us!!
Q) As an alumnus, what’s your advice to freshers or those who are joining IIFM to get the best out of the 2 years there?
A) IIFM will introduce you to the diverse expanse of forest, environment, development, and sustainable management. You might join IIFM with a clear mindset of where you want to land up or else, you may dive in with great mentorship from our faculty and seniors into a new sphere for your career. I would suggest being clear of your goal first and then Following the Process of how you will achieve it. Along the way, enjoy your time at IIFM, build your network with alumni, seniors, and juniors and create everlasting memories.
Q) What is your typical day at the office? (We want to know what your day job looks like..)
A) Usually, my day starts at 5 AM in winters, and 4.15 AM in summers, when on a Safari. I pack my photography gear which is my two Canon 80Ds, a Canon 500mm, a Canon 300 mm, and a wide-angle 18-135mm lens, with Binoculars. I always say to my guests, that this national park is my office not the one at Treehouse. Same for the evening safaris up till 7 PM. When not on safari, my day starts at 6.30 AM with a small workout, followed by sumptuous breakfast, hosting my in-house guests, managing day to day operations, handling guest complaints, enhancing their overall experience at the lodge, organizing nature and village walks, bird watching sessions with our Naturalists, evening wildlife documentaries or wildlife presentations with bonfire, a nice chat with my guests, staff meetings & briefings for next day’s plan, and monitoring lodge expenses.
Q) You would like to share about your typical weekends… Hobbies… Family…
A) There’s no weekend for me. The job itself is a holiday one but, exhaustive at times. When I go on back-to-back safaris, then I seldom have time for anything else except to crash on my bed. There are days when we don’t have guests, and then it’s a break from work and time to watch movies on Netflix, play Guitar, and play Volleyball or Cricket with our staff, and enjoy a barbeque. My parents, my wife, daughter, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece are my backbone. They have supported me and stood with me at all the Ups and downs of life. My wife is the one who enticed me to ascend from blogging to writing a book (not published yet) on Tigers of Bandhavgarh.
Q) Favorite Books, movies, authors
A) BOOKS
Financial Education Books – The Autobiography of a Stock, Rich dad Poor dad, The Intelligent investor (You must read all of these)
Self-help Books – Think & Win like Dhoni, The Power of your Subconscious mind, Thus spoke Chanakya, Discipline equals freedom
Wildlife Books – Jim Corbett Omnibus Volume I & II, Birds of Indian Subcontinent, Trees of Central India, Indian Mammals, Living with Tigers
Movies – Andaz Apnaa Apnaa, Invictus, Munich, The Shawshank Redemption, The Wolf of Wall Street, Castaway, Forrest Gump, La vita e Bella, The pursuit of Happiness, Cinderella Man, The Greatest game ever played.
Authors – Jim Corbett, Dale Carnegie, Valmik Thapar, and Bittu Sehgal.
Q) IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A) Would be a pleasure to help out juniors, alumni, and anyone interested to know more about this field. They can directly contact me on my number 7999224215. At times the number is out of network so just drop me a WhatsApp/SMS and I will connect.
Q) What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? What do you think is a positive change and what is not?
A) I came to know that, now in IIFM we have more number of students as compared to our batch from 2009. It’s a positive move towards raising many more sustainability ambassadors as we did before.
Q) Any suggestions on who from our alumni you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A) Sudeep Kodialbail, Kallol Mandal, Sudhanshu Agarwal, Ritwajit Das, Lakshya Chauhan, and IFS Manish Singh.