Even before the crack of dawn, much before the forest stirs awake and the sun cast its first rays on the foliage of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Kajal Khati Nikode is already on her feet. Her home near the Mohurli gate buzzes with quiet urgency. Water boils for tea. Tiffins are packed - one each for her 10-year-old daughter, her husband, and herself. She moves with practiced efficiency, her mind already anticipating the day’s safari. Kajal, is among the 60 odd women who work as forest guides on safari from gates near their villages. Some have even trained to drive a vehicle in the forest and passed tests held over the past few years by the department.
A day in the life of…
By 5:30 am, she is dressed in her forest green uniform. Kajal, 30, joined the reserve as a guide in 2015. Her husband drives a safari vehicle from the same gate, and on lucky days, the two get to share the same shift, taking visitors deep into tiger territory, sharing knowledge and parlaying tales of legacies, movements and iconography of the famous tigers here.
Like all forest guides across national parks in India, Kajal’s duties are rostered - she gets a maximum of 26 days of work in a month, depending on the rotation. On a busy day in peak season, she takes on both the morning and evening safaris, spending up to eight hours in the field. For her efforts, she earns around INR 16,000 a month sans tips - an income that brings her more than just money. It gives her identity, purpose, and the freedom to live life on her own terms. “We take holidays to Goa during the monsoon,” she smiled, “but I can’t imagine doing anything else. Working in the forest is something to be proud of.” There was a quiet, resolute pride in her voice. The kind that comes from carving your place in a world not built for you.
Her 10 year old daughter knows that her parents track tigers for a living. “When she was younger, she used to ask if I get scared,” Kajal laughs. “But now she brags to her friends that her mother knows the tigers.”
A moment of reckoning
Kajal is not alone. The forests of India are witnessing a quiet but powerful transformation — women are claiming their space in the wild, not as passive bystanders, but as trained naturalists, safari guides, and conservation educators.
Another name that commands attention and, at times, intimidation, is Shahanaz Baig. Known for her sharp eyes and unflinching stance on tracking, Baig has made a name for herself as one of the most authoritative female voices in Tadoba’s core zone. Tourists and colleagues alike note her assertiveness - a trait that has earned her both respect and awe. Kajal, Shahanaz and Bhavna were the first three women to start guiding in the forest around 2015.
For many of these women, the journey starts early on their playgrounds and neighbourhood. As women gather firewood in the forests, they already understand natural signs and have a better understanding of the flora and fauna. A bright eyed Supriya from Kanha had once told me, “I joined because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself.”
Today, she indeed is. The presence of women has softened and strengthened the safari experience. Female travelers feel safer, rowdy tourists fall in line - their quiet authority echoing the discipline they command at home. There’s also a noticeable shift in the way guides engage with local communities - often with more compassion and continuity, especially when it comes to education and social work.
One of the rare female safari drivers and trackers in a predominantly male domain, Madhuri Thakur from Kanha is a graduate who chose the forest for a job. With a soft demeanour but steely resolve, Madhuri has proved her mettle behind the wheel, navigating Kanha’s uneven trails with practiced ease. More importantly, she earned the respect of her male peers through her commitment to the craft and her ability to remain calm under pressure - a trait not lost on tourists who’ve often praised her sharp spotting skills and storytelling flair.
“I love the mornings the most,” she says. “When the mist hangs low and you hear the alarm calls of langurs echoing in the forest, it reminds you of how alive everything is. It's a kind of meditation.”
Divyakshi Gupta, a Mumbai based travel content creator has been on safari with Madhuri. She says, “I was surprised to see a female guide who also drives a gypsy! It felt great to be on a safari with her and I really want to see more female guides in Indian forests as it is truly inspiring to see them take the lead.” She also mentioned, “there are so many Madhuris out there waiting for the right kind of support. I sincerely hope her tribe increases.”
Changing fortunes
But this wave of change isn’t limited to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. In Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, too, women are stepping into khaki with pride. Since 2018, Chhattisgarh opened guide positions to women across its tribal belts. Among them is Manisha Kumari, a 22-year-old from the Gond community and the only woman guide in Kanger Valley National Park.
Soft-spoken but confident, Manisha leads safaris through the biodiverse landscape of Bastar, sharing traditional knowledge about the forest’s medicinal plants - an ancestral science still deeply embedded in tribal life. When asked, she also guides visitors down the eerie, mystical depths of Kotumsar Cave, a limestone wonder with subterranean corridors, bat colonies, and legends galore. “People are often surprised that a woman is taking them into the caves,” she smiles. “But I know every corner of it.”
Yet, the work isn’t always romantic. It demands discipline, physical stamina, and mental alertness. There are days when they return home bone-tired, sunburnt, or soaked from sudden downpours. There’s the weight of tourist expectations, the need to deliver sightings, the occasional aggression, and the ever-present risk of encounters with wild animals.
Despite these odds, these women persevere, and not just for themselves. Inspired by their own journeys, many have begun giving back to the communities that raised them. In the buffer villages of Kanha, for instance, women forest staff have taken up the cause of improving school attendance among tribal children. They’ve introduced games, storytelling, nature walks - anything to make learning less of a chore and more of a joy. “I remember skipping school as a child,” one of the women quoted in a VillageSquare report says. “Now, I make sure these kids come not just to learn, but to dream.”
In Tadoba too, women guides often double up as informal educators, participating in clean up drives every Tuesday when the park remains closed. Kajal, when not in the field, talks to adolescent girls about hygiene, confidence, and careers in conservation. Others have begun mentoring local girls in her village who are curious about forest work but unsure if it’s “meant for women.”
It is this fierce determination to uplift and do better, that defines them.They are not here for tokenism.The forest, once considered an exclusively male dominated domain, is now being reimagined by one brave woman at a time. In the rustle of leaves and the roar of the jungle, these women have found their calling. Through their quiet strength and relentless drive, they are ensuring that the next generation doesn’t just visit the forest but also fight to protect it.