Principle investigator : Jayashree Mazumder

PhD Research Scholar (PH16061)

Humanities and Social Sciences

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali

Sector 81, Knowledge city,

Punjab- 140306, India.

Personal webpage

Supervision : Dr. Parth R. Chauhan

Assistant Professor

Humanities and Social Sciences

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali.

Sector 81, Knowledge city

Punjab- 140306, India.

Personal Website

Meet the team

Principle investigator (PI)

Jayashree Mazumder

MY life and stay with my gang has been a wonderful one. We all had different opinions with a lot of ups and downs. So without further delay meet my team.

Research assistant (RA)

Nirmal Nath Upadhyay

Hi! My name is Nirmal N Upadhyay and I am post graduate from the department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. After my post-graduation, I joined as an RA in this project and below is my experience as an RA.

Ever since I gained conscience I admired nature or should I say ‘Mother Nature’, its versatility, beauty and respected the awesomeness of it. Being a student of Anthropology It never satisfies me going places and getting to know more about people and nature. Inspired by my questions about evolution and also Bear Grylls’s TV show ‘Man v/s Wild’ I chose to carry forward my career in primate studies, following my love for nature and adventure.

Working as a Research Assistant was no less than a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for me to visit the Nicobar Islands for the field-work. The project was remarkable and consisted of all I seek. The working hours with monkeys, adaptation to limited food resources, acclimatization to adverse climatic conditions, management of resources, no internet access, limited communication from the outer world, interpersonal encounters and differences, etc. may sound challenging and indeed they are but, it made me more curious to do it. When challenged, we learn to manage resources and counter the situations and adapt in order to survive and proceed. William Wordsworth wrote ‘One impulse from a vernal wood May teach you more of man, of moral evil and of good than all the sages can.’ Now I truly understand it.

Interns

S.S.V. Kiran

Hi! This is Kiran, I'm a Biotechnology graduate and a Science Enthusiast. I have done my schooling in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Yanam. And I did my bachelors in BSc Biotechnology from SRM University, Chennai.

Then I wanted to go for my masters with some work experience.. So I was searching for a good opportunity that will encourage me to improve and learn new & necessary skills for my career growth.

There I found out about this internship program by IISER, Mohali. It was a post for research Intern on the "Nicobar long-tailed macaques project", I got selected and went to Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the first time. I met my PI Mrs. Jayashree Ma'am, and my RA Mr. Nirmal Nath Upadhyay. They really are nice people. I mingled very easily with them. In the beginning of my work there, I was a bit confused. Since I'm from a Biotechnology background, I know nothing about the field work and its circumstances. I faced few issues in the beginning, but with their support and help, I learned a lot of things during my stay over there. I did my work in 2 Islands, Campbell Bay & Katchal. In Katchal I met another intern Mrs Diksha. She is also a nice person, I enjoyed discussing a few things with her.

The work there was a bit challenging.. Collecting behaviour data of macaques is not an easy thing to do, it requires a lot of patience and commitment. We worked as a team, and I think we did our best. We used to follow the timings of macaques to track them, we wake up early and go to their hotspot areas and collect the data in a HanDBase software. We work continuously till afternoon with only having one break for breakfast. Then compiling the work done on the day into office files and writing the filed dairy. This was like our daily routine during the project. We also did surveys on the vegetation on which macaques mostly depend on. I really enjoyed working together with them.

We worked hard physically and mentally in those tough conditions of Nicobar Islands. In the course of our work and stay there, I think all of us have learned a lot in our life. And surely for me this will be one of the turning points in my life. I was so thankful to Jayashree Ma'am and IISER for this opportunity.

Diksha Mandlik

Hello! I am a postgraduate in Marine Biology from Pondicherry University. Born and brought up in land-locked town of Maharashtra, I've come a long way to A&N islands, where I completed my Master's and at present, I'm working with IISER, in Nicobar.

I have always been fascinated about cetaceans and primates alike. Being a licensed SCUBA diver complements my understanding of my subject. I fiercely defend biodiversity, its rights and sustainability; the same nudged me towards my Master's thesis addressing anthropogenic debris and microplastic accumulation on South Andaman coast AND this ambitious project. I hope to further enrich myself as an environmentalist through the current position.

Apart from this, I'm often spotted nose-deep in novels, day dreaming about Atlantis (and Aquaman) or talking vehemently about literature, dogs and gastronomy. I also wish to travel as many as roads, experience as many as cultures, speak as many tongues and swim as many as oceans someday.

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