I was born and raised in a small village in West Bengal on the bank of river Padma, where the silence of dewfall in the frigid winter mornings and the coos of doves in the leisurely summer afternoons were the norm. My Master's days in Santiniketan were no different. Chhatim or Chhatare on and around our Ashram campus would captivate me more than Zoology. Having my interests broad, I had equally enjoyed observing migratory birds in southern West Bengal with WWF-India and understanding the potential threats to the critical GIB habitat, Thar with WII. I'm currently pursuing my doctoral research at NCF with an attempt to understand the coexistence of avian frugivores in the Indian tropics. My journey at NCF has taken me to some of the most beautiful forests in the eastern Himalaya and the Western Ghats. It has been in these locations that I have had some of the most thrilling experiences, such as being charged by an elephant in the Anamalais or having a gibbon pooped on me in Namdapha. In addition to plants and animals, rivers, mountains, arts, and literature hold a special place in my heart.