You are a member of the Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) and active on the front of tackling poaching and breaking through the loopholes in the international conservation law. In India poaching on land or on sea is done rampantly with little consequences. How can those be effectively tackled?
Sea Shepherd’s work is to investigate and document illegal operations on the world’s oceans, primarily related to the fishing and whaling industry. This evidence is then used to work either with governments or independently to enforce conservation laws. What happens in India on the oceans is similar to what happens to the oceans the world over and this is largely due to the deficit in monitoring and enforcement measures. India could begin by reviewing the resource extraction in our waters through stricter control at the Ministry level but also introduce inspection regimes of fishing vessels via the Indian navy and the Coast Guard. Satellites and cheap technology are options that are available too. The threat from an empty and destroyed ocean is serious and should be acknowledged.
What have been milestones in your life? What could be your next milestone?
The oceans are a place of immensity and in them exists a magnitude of crimes that I like to call “Invisible Illegalities”, basically illegality which is systemic to the industry and has not yet been defined. Uncovering these illegalities is the focus of my work ahead and I like to believe that as I peel a new layer I will cross a new milestone. With 6 direct-action campaigns so far, the success of each one of them is a milestone for me. However, Operation Icefish which saw the chase and scuttling of the internationally wanted poaching vessel Thunder, would be the biggest one for me. Once the TEDxGateway event is over, I will be heading to Australia once again to depart for Antarctica to locate and shut down the most notorious poachers on this planet.
Who has influenced you most in your life? Why?
I don’t think there is a single person who has influenced me the most. Interacting with people through my life, in various capacities and in different engagements, has culminated in me being where and what I am as a person today. As the challenges to our oceans increase, we have to adapt and this allows for a wide range of ideas, debates and solutions to become a part of the process. And with this come the individuals who influence my work, my ideas and my thoughts.
Are you ambitious? If yes, have you chalked out your life? Does planning help?
I am ambitious only to the extent of wanting to challenge myself all the time. For me being ambitious is to continuously push the boundaries of my knowledge and my comfort zone and to never settle. I have not chalked out my life but I have a keen interest in academics and policy-level work and I hope to begin a journey in that direction in the years ahead. I do plan my work and campaigns with an extreme degree of care and caution but since my work does not always conform to how I plan it, I have to be adaptable as well.
Siddharth Chakravarty is a Marine Conservationist who works for Sea Shepherd Global. Over the years, he has chased the whale poachers in Antarctica, patrolled the fishing season in the Mediterranean, assisted with at-sea inspections in the Pacific and most recently, pursued and shut-down illegal fishing vessels in Antarctica.
How have you tackled setbacks in life? What keeps you going? Have you ever wanted to give it all up and do something else?
One of the biggest joys in my life is to be in a place of absolute harmony and beauty for most of the time. However the pendulum of emotions that I go through, each time I am on a campaign, play out in the contrast between beauty and death. The lifeless form of a whale contrasted against its breaching in the midst of stunning beauty, moves something deep inside me. To witness life thrive in the most remote corners of our planet, and for it to be then snatched away in a ghastly manner, drives home the belief of just how perverse it really is. Instead of bringing me down, I find that the contrasts compel me to look beyond the immediate setbacks. To not return to defend marine life would be a personal setback and therefore I know that for the rest of my life, I will be working for the oceans.
India has a multitude of talent. And yet, we are unable to make rapid strides like China. How do we harness talent in India and channelize it?
From my point of view, I look at the expansion of the distant water Chinese fishing fleets in the last two decades. Strip-mining the oceans to be able to build a seafood industry that drives the oceans to extinction is not a giant stride. Robbing poorer Pacific countries of the food they so desperately need is not a giant stride. Subjecting fishing crews to deplorable working conditions to maximise profits is not a giant stride.
Ken Robinson said a decade ago that we’re living in a time of “academic inflation”. To be able to harness the talent in India and channelise it, we first need to redefine what our talent really is. Because if we don’t, we will be squandering that multitude of talent we so desperately need to carry us into the future.
