https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An Administrator by Profession, A Photographer at Heart

Divisional Commissioner of Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, Rajeev Sharma, is a talented wildlife photographer. He loves to capture nature and its scenic beauty through his lens, but his special focus has always been birds. As he started capturing the beauty of trees with his lens, he began getting attracted towards the birds sitting on these trees.
Indian Masterminds Stories

IAS officer Rajeev Sharma is a mine of talents. In addition to being a dedicated senior government officer and a writer, he is also a talented photographer with an eye for the natural world. His love for wildlife and nature has enhanced his skills for photography as he has photographed over a hundred species of birds, which he exhibits in his famous exhibition called ‘Birds of Bandhavgarh’.

Indian Masterminds spoke with Mr. Sharma, who is the Divisional Commissioner of Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, about his interest in photography. 

Senior IAS officer Rajeev Sharma

DISCOVERING HIS TALENT

Mr. Sharma believes the credit for helping him discover his talent for photography should go to the Government of India for offering him numerous postings in areas close to forest divisions and regions.

He started his career from his posting at Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, a region surrounded by beautiful forests. It was during this time only that he discovered his love for wildlife photography. He started capturing the beauty of nature and wild animals through his lens and hasn’t stopped since.

He has captured the majestic beauty of the tigers of Bandhavgarh, the lions of Gir, and the crocodiles of the region through his lens.

In his words: “I am a wildlife photographer at heart, administrator by profession, and a writer by passion.”

INTEREST IN DIFFERENT FACETS OF LIFE

From his childhood days, Mr. Sharma has had a keen interest in various artistic and cultural hobbies, the credit of which he would like to give to his parents. They enrolled him in several extracurricular activities such as music classes, Urdu classes, photography classes, etc., which further increased his interest in building his hobbies.

“The spectrum of life has seven colours; then why should a person be stuck at just one? You are unfair to yourself when you get wrapped in just one activity and do not explore and experience other facets of life,” he said.

A photograph clicked by Mr. Sharma

CAPTURING NATURE’S BEAUTY

Coincidentally, when he joined the service, he received posting in regions like Mandla, where there is Kanha National Park, home to several tigers and numerous birds; Balaghat, another half of the Kanha National Park, and Umaria, home to the very famous Bandhavgarh National park.

“I have spent more than half of my life in these forests. While everyone was busy capturing tigers, I had a keen interest in the hundreds of species of plants, shrubs, and large trees. Together, they combine to form these forests, the beauty of which is unmatched. The differing hues of the trees, the multiple shades of green, the patterns of the leaves… I absolutely love them and can’t resist capturing these unique marvels of creation,” Mr. Sharma told Indian Masterminds.

As he captured the beauty of trees through his lens, he started getting attracted towards the birds sitting on these trees. Thus arose his love for photographing bird species from around the state.

RESEARCH WORK

Mr. Sharma visited the Bombay Natural History Society and went through all the books written by the great Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali, an Indian ornithologist and naturalist, sometimes referred to as the ‘Birdman of India’. Salim Ali was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several bird books that popularised ornithology in India.

“Since I didn’t find anyone who concentrated on the birds of Bandhavgarh, I decided to go for it. I focused on the birds and their varied species and tried to capture them through my camera,” shared Mr. Sharma.

Apart from birds and animals, he also loves to capture sunrise, sunsets, flowers, water bodies and the beauty of nature. Here are a few photos from his album:

A tiger’s scintillating eye
Two bees in a pod
King vulture
A family of tigers walking through the jungle
An Indian Roller with its prey
A Crested Serpent Eagle
Black Shouldered Kite
Bay Backed Shrike bird

Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Bihar Cabiner meeting expressways
Bihar's Infrastructure Leap: 12 Districts to Benefit as New Greenfield Expressway Cuts Raxaul-Haldia Travel to Under 10 Hours
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat Cooperative
Gujarat Charts Grand Plan for International Cooperative Year 2025 under CM Patel’s Leadership - Details Inside
ministry of information and broadcasting MIB
MIB Issues Transfer & Posting Orders for 31 IIS Officers Across Media Units, Effective Immediately - Check Details Here
Bihar Government-resized-IM
Cane to Cash: Bihar Govt Rolls Out Rs49 Crore Scheme to Boost Sugarcane Farming and Farmer Incomes
bureaucracy news
Anil Kumar Singhal Repatriated to Andhra Pradesh Cadre; FSIB Chairperson & Members Get One-Year Extension
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
Gujarat Secretariat Leads the Way in Reducing Plastic Usage with 'Sakhi Neer' Glass Bottling Initiative
temple
Ghela Somnath Mahadev Temple to Shine with Rs10 Cr Redevelopment Plan, Echoing ‘Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi’ Vision
PESB
PESB Selects Nripendra Nath as New Director (Technical) for CMPDIL - Know More About Him
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Air India
Is Air India Carrying The Burden of Split Before Privatisation?
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
Ex-IRS Officer C. Rajendiran Illuminates Thirukkural’s Timeless Wisdom in Exclusive Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IAS Abhinav Gopal IAS Deepak Karwa
Two IAS Officers Make History by Completing English Channel Swim
Bihar Cabiner meeting expressways
Bihar's Infrastructure Leap: 12 Districts to Benefit as New Greenfield Expressway Cuts Raxaul-Haldia Travel to Under 10 Hours
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Air India
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT