father, Fateh Singh Rathore (please see URLs below) has led efforts to protect the tigers in Ranthambhore since the early 1970’s. Goverdhan Singh Rathore could have left Jaipur after receiving his medical degree and migrated to a larger city where money was guaranteed. Instead he returned to the land he loved, the forest and its tigers, uncertain of what the future held.He is the first to tell you that the 20 years were not easy, but to him it was part of the adventure and challenge. With a truck filled with supplies, he set out to help the local villages. His truck was his hospital; there was no one to call for back-up. Every week he visited 40 villages, getting to know the people and treating them as best he could. The small
learnings still apply today: medications are only valued and taken if they must pay for them; local untrained “physicians” are not only part of the community, they will always be seen as a trusted source of medical care. With time Dr.Rathore slowly brought western medicine to the rural communities - and with it, his desire to protect the tiger.From the villagers point-of-view, the tiger was just another animal and it was killing their herds. The
forest was their source of fuel for cooking and building material, and it was their right to use it. Dr Rathore is not an environmental activist that makes speeches; his style is to find solutions and quietly get things done. Over the past 20 years, his small individual work has been transformed into a hospital, public school, local conversion from wood to biogas, an agro forestry program, improved milk production of local cows, a family counseling center, and a legal cell for persecution of poachers.
He is well off now and connected to environmental organizations the world over. But he is the first to tell young doctors that money is not what should be driving their decisions: they need to follow their passion. Career coaches have written plenty of books on this subject, but few are such living examples as Dr Rathore. Many times when the bank account was dry, with no options available, his shear will kept the doors open until money flowed in. It’s a story of hope and innovation, of a man’s unwavering vision that was unpopular and at times dangerous. It’s the foundation of the postings to follow, but without the history, the enormity of his work would not be fully appreciated.Fateh Singh Rathore:
