An Accidental Posting in a Tiger Reserve Turned This IRS Officer Into a Wildlife Photographer
- Raghav Goyal
- Published on 3 Nov 2022, 9:00 am IST
- 3 minutes read
Highlights
- IRS officer Kishor Dhule developed an interest in photography in 2018 when he was posted in Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
- He now has a social media page fully devoted to his photography
- He mostly does wildlife photography and capturing birds in their natural homes is his forte
- Long tailed shrike captured by IRS officer Kishor Dhule
Behind Indian Revenue Service officer Kishor Dhule becoming a civil servant and a wildlife photographer lies the hand of his friends who influenced him to walk on these paths. He was earlier a medical practitioner and decided to go for civil services after being inspired by a friend who was preparing to enter it. Similarly, his interest and skills in wildlife photography was fueled and developed by yet another friend, while he was posted in Nagpur in a wildlife sanctuary. And since 2018, he started pursuing it seriously and has not looked back, with capturing birds with lens becoming his forte.
LANDING UP IN CIVIL SERVICES
Dr. Kishor Dhule, who is from Maharashtra, started out as an Aturvedic practitioner. After completing his graduation in Ayurvedic medicine, he started his career as a medical officer in his college hospital. Speaking about how he landed up in civil services, he told Indian Masterminds, “One of my friends was preparing for civil services during this time. Getting motivated by him, I also started preparing and entered the Maharashtra state civil services. I was selected as a Deputy Collector in 2002.”
Later, as he was a bright student and was seeking more opportunities, he gave the UPSC CSE exam and got selected as an IRS officer in 2004. Since then, he has served in various places like Aurangabad, Malegaon, Nagpur, and is currently posted in Mumbai.Related Stories
FASCINATION WITH NATURE
From an early age, he had developed an avid interest in nature. He grew especially fond of observing flocks of birds closely. After he joined the state civil services, he was posted as Taluka Magistrate in Melghat Tiger Reserve as a probationer, and it was here that he was introduced to a virgin forest for the first time in his life. It was an overwhelming experience for him as he found the forest very attractive and fascinating!
“There is a sense of incompleteness in almost everybody, but when you come to nature, which is the most complete entity in the world, you feel fulfilled and satisfied,” he said.
Nagpur, where he was posted at that time, had four tiger reserves and his interest in nature grew, although his hectic schedule did not allow him to pursue photography then. Until he met a friend who happened to be a wildlife photographer, in 2018. “He helped me in selecting the adequate gear for photography,” Dr Dhule said.
BIRDS PHOTOGRAPHY
With new gear, he turned serious about photography and started watching birds and also gaining information about them to be able to get the best shots. “I started understanding their habits and used to even follow them to their nests,” he said.
Gradually this interest in capturing birds and other wildlife with his lens turned into a passion and he went deeper into it as he started exploring the forests more in his postings. His wife soon joined him and, today, the couple not only pursues their passion together but also sensitizes people on the need to protect and preserve nature and wildlife.
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