Shankar RaoField staff Shankar Rao has been involved with the Olive Ridley long-term monitoring project in Odisha since 2010 and has recently joined the SeaChange initiative. His work on the turtle project includes offshore transects, arribada census, beach mapping, hatchery construction, and mass hatching data collection. As part of the SeaChange team, he is responsible…
Mahendra NayakField Staff (In Memoriam) Prior to joining Dakshin in 2009, Mahendra worked as an electrician. He was an important part of the turtle team and patrolled the nesting beach for over 15 nesting seasons. His work included night patrols, nest relocation, hatchling release, hatchery management, sample collection for hatchling sex ratio studies, arribada census,…
Magata BeheraField staff Magata joined the turtle monitoring project in 2015. Since then, he has been involved in beach mapping, hatchery construction and maintenance, arribada census, and occasional night patrolling. Recently, he has been part of the SeaChange program, with his work primarily focused on raising awareness at the community level, voicing their grievances, and…
Madhusudan BeheraField staff Madhusudhan pursued various occupations, ranging from fishing to small-scale enterprises, before joining Dakshin in 2010. He is the senior-most member of the turtle team and possesses immense ecological knowledge. He is also the cook at our turtle field base in Ganjam and oversees the maintenance of the field station. His work involves…
Kalka NagammaCommunity Catalyst Nagamma worked as a child tutor before joining Dakshin. She learned about Dakshin's work and the opportunity to engage with fisherfolk through a community leader. This led to her acceptance into the Coastal Grassroots Fellowship, where she gained new skills and knowledge related to community mobilisation and awareness. Nagamma is now actively…
Judhistir BeheraField Staff Judhistir worked as an electrician in Chennai before joining Dakshin in 2012. He became part of the turtle team, following in the footsteps of his father, Dambru Behera. Currently, he works with the Ultimate Frisbee sports program, leading practices in coastal towns near Ganjam. He also assists the turtle team with arribada…
Gita Rani BeheraField Staff Before joining Dakshin, Gita managed a small business selling vadas and samosas and served as the president of a Self-Help Group (SHG), focusing on livelihood-related government projects. At Dakshin, Gita oversees the base's daily operations, including cleaning and maintaining rooms and office spaces, ensuring the kitchen runs smoothly, and cooking for…
Gauri BeheraCommunity Catalyst Gauri was a homemaker until she was introduced to Dakshin by the village president. Later, she learned about the Coastal Grassroots Fellowship and applied for a position to help improve the local fishing community. Her work mainly focuses on raising awareness about mental health, non-communicable diseases, and adolescent health. Gauri also works…
CH PratimaCommunity Catalyst Pratima learned about Dakshin while pursuing her Bachelor of Arts, introduced by a senior community member. She was subsequently selected for Dakshin's Coastal Grassroots Fellowship, which expanded her knowledge of various socio-economic issues affecting the fishing community. During her fellowship, she also honed her skills in communication, dispute resolution, photography, and community…
Bipro Charan BeheraField staff While in school, Bipro helped his father with turtle work and often went fishing. He was encouraged to join Dakshin by his father, Dambru Behera, in 2010. Bipro is a pivotal member of the turtle team and leads the night walks during the nesting season. His tasks include night patrols, hatchling…