About | ANET Team
Our team at the base comprises a diverse group of people, some of whom have been associated with ANET since its early inception, and others joining the team as the establishment has expanded over the years.
Management and Administration
Naveen Namboothri
Programme Head & Academic Convenor, Dakshin Foundation
Meera Anna Oommen
Associate Director, Dakshin Foundation
Saw John Aung Thong
Operations Manager,
ANET
Programmes and Projects
Tanmay Wagh
Project Coordinator,
LTEO
Tara Braganza
Senior Programme Associate, Center for Island Sustainability (CIS)
Marianne Manuel
Program Head, SeaChange
Madhuri Mondal
Senior Program Officer, SeaChange ANI
Pavitra Vasudevan
Program Officer, Community Health and Well-being
Anand Rao
Junior Programme Officer, SeaChange ANI
Abhishek Chakraborty
Senior Program Associate, SeaChange ANI
Rajath B
Programe Associate, SeaChange ANI
Aplonia Topno
Field Team member, SeaChange ANI
Meera PK
Senior Program Assistant, SeaChange ANI
Field Support and Logistics
Our field team is an eclectic group of professionals who support the operations of ANET in multiple ways both at the field station and during field work. Its members include a number of deeply committed and highly trained individuals drawn from different parts of the Andaman and Nicobar islands and have been with us for many years.
Mrinal Kanti Bhowmick
Housekeeping In Charge
Naveen Ekka
Operations Manager
Jeevan Horo
Field Assistant & Boat Operator
Sebian Horo
Field Assistant
Johnson Kongari
Chef & Field Assistant
Vishal Kujur (Ledu)
Field Assistant
Niraj Kumar Minj
Administrative Assistant
Babu Kutty
Boat Captain, Khlee
Manisha Singh
Kitchen & Housekeeping Assistant
Anand James Tirkey
Base Coordinator & Field Assistant
Saw Thesorow
Boat Captain, Thisopa & Field Assistant
Saw Watha (Agu)
Field Assistant, Carpenter & Maintenance Manager
Sarojini Tirkey
Kitchen and Housekeeping Assistant
Sushil Lakra
Field Assistant &
Boat Operator
Naveen Namboothri
Programme Head & Academic Convenor, Dakshin Foundation
Naveen Namboothri is a founder trustee and ex-Director of Dakshin Foundation, currently serves as a Programme Head & Academic Convenor. Trained as marine biologist, he has worked in diverse coastal, marine and island systems across India. For his doctoral work in the early 2000s, Naveen studied the coral-boring fauna of Great Nicobar, and has been engaged with the islands ever since. His interests include the ecological and conservation aspects of coral reefs, mangroves and a range of other ecosystems in the islands. In the Andaman islands, he has helped conceptualise fisheries interventions, build ANET’s citizen science initiatives and long-term monitoring of coral reef ecosystems, and also helped build Dakshin’s Environmental Education Programme including the production of the publication Treasured Islands. In addition to leading numerous marine biology courses, Naveen has supervised a large number of students with interest in marine systems. Currently, Naveen heads the marine component of the Long Term Ecological Observatory project based at ANET.
Meera Anna Oommen
Associate Director, Dakshin Foundation
Meera holds a doctoral degree in life sciences from the University of Technology, Sydney. At ANET, she contributes to institutional growth by coordinating research activities, and institutional development. Meera has been involved in a number of projects in the islands from the early 2000s. In 2001 and 2001, she carried out the first field study of the Nicobar treeshrew (Tupaia nicobarica) on Great Nicobar and assisted with the leatherback project at the monitoring site at Galathea. Her current academic work focuses on incorporating insights from multiple disciplines to understand conflicts in natural resource governance and conservation. This work also focuses on research at the interface of environmental history, anthropology and ecology, and their interactions in the context of traditional practices and species. Currently, Meera is focusing on establishing the Centre for Island Sustainability, a research and intervention platform for the islands at ANET, and also carrying out research on some aspects of conflict between people and saltwater crocodiles in the in the islands.
Saw John Aung Thong
Operations Manager, ANET
Saw John Aung Thong is the Operations Manager at ANET. Hailing from Webi in Middle Andaman, John is one of ANET’s first employees, and has been instrumental in all aspects of the field station’s growth and expansion. John is one of the architects of the Andaman Karen Crafts (AKC), a cooperative that ANET helped establish to facilitate local economic empowerment of the Karen community while revitalising their cultural heritage and conserving local ecosystems and sustainable resource use practices. John has been an integral part of ANET’s pioneering surveys and expeditions in its early years and has a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of island ecology and conservation. Currently, John divides his time between the ANET base and Webi and also assists with the activities of AKC.
Tanmay Wagh
Project Coordinator, LTEO
Tanmay has been based out of the Andaman Islands since 2013, and in the process, has had an opportunity to be a part of various projects related to coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and dugongs, elasmobranch fisheries and leatherback turtles. His broad research interests lie in understanding the relationship between conservation, exploitation and sustainable use of marine resources, particularly in coral reef ecosystems. Presently, he is working as the Project Coordinator of the Marine Programme as part of the Long Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) programme of the MOEFCC. The broad goal of this project is to understand the long-term impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and taxa in the Andaman Islands. Along with this, he is also carrying out research on profiling small-scale reef fisheries in the islands.
Tara Braganza
Senior Programme Associate, Center for Island Sustainability (CIS)
Tara has an avid interest in the natural world and where it overlaps into the human world. Her experiences till now have taught her that change comes from not only technical or theoretical knowledge and skills, but also listening to others, reflecting, and adapting to situations.Her Master’s dissertation looked into the impact of building and expansion of highways through villages, farmland and forested areas, and what the implication of such development is on local communities. This topic was of interest to her, as it allowed for a dynamic exploration of both social and ecological components. Subsequently, her experience working with multiple groups – weavers, women, farmers – across rural Andhra Pradesh has provided Tara with a wide perspective of socio-ecological systems.
Tara’s work in Dakshin is with the Andaman & Nicobar Environment Team (ANET), as Coordinator of Center for Island Sustainability (CIS). CIS is a multidisciplinary research center that covers a range of vital themes of contemporary significance to the islands ranging from scientific conservation research to community interactions.
Marianne Manuel
Program Head, SeaChange ANI
Over the last eleven years with Dakshin, Marianne’s work has been focused around issues of coastal governance and fisher rights. She works with fishing communities and civil society networks to increase their engagement with law and policy, from influencing new legislation or amendments to improving implementation of current legislations. Currently as Director, Marianne steers Dakshin’s efforts towards building inclusive governance models that ensure sustainable use of natural resources as well as improve the social and economic wellbeing of fishing communities.
Madhuri Mondal
Senior Program Officer, SeaChange ANI
Growing up in the Andamans and living close to the rainforest and coastal ecosystems, Madhuri has always been fascinated by them. After working for over six years as a software engineer, she gave up her career to be close to nature and to work towards environmental sustainability. During her Masters with TISS, she became interested in studying human-nature interactions and socio-ecological systems. For her Master’s dissertation, she studied the resource use and governance in Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park in South Andaman. Before joining Dakshin, she worked with indigenous communities in the Protected Areas of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. She is interested in analyzing the role of institutions in managing resources in the globalizing world and to develop interventions to strengthen resource governance. She enjoys traveling, nature walks, birding and documenting biodiversity.
At Dakshin, she was previously leading the Community Wellbeing and Environment programme in Odisha and Andaman Islands. Currently, her work focuses on developing the SeaChange initiative and overseeing its implementation in the Andaman Islands while working closely with the different stakeholders. Dakshin’s SeaChange initiative looks at the interconnected nature of issues in coastal landscapes and aims to secure healthy ecosystems and thriving communities by unlocking local potential, strengthening institutions and building bridges between stakeholders.
Pavitra Vasudevan
Programme Officer – Community Health and Wellbeing
Pavitra has completed her Master of Science in Applied Psychology from Pondicherry University. She worked as a therapist and then with Adivasi communities in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve towards better health, mental health, and wellbeing outcomes. Her interest in community work is in building structures of resilience in the paradigm of preventive health through wellbeing initiatives that determine aspects of vulnerability and align community needs to build agency inclusive of psycho-social, cultural, political, and environmental factors. Informed by Narrative and Expressive Arts Therapies, her research interest lies in mental health and preventive health outcomes in low-resource settings, inclusive pathways to health care, wellbeing interventions, and assessments.
Anand Rao
Junior Programme Officer, SeaChange ANI
Anand was born and brought up in a fishing village of Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Island which is located in the southernmost part of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India. He began his career as a GIS analyst in an ISRO project that looked at shoreline changes in the islands. Two key projects Anand has worked on within ANI are a tsunami risk assessment and ‘forest vulnerability assessment and management’ among others. He has also worked as a trainee in a sustainable community development project of an international organization, Pragya, in the western Himalayas.
At Dakshin, he worked in the Community Wellbeing and Environment Programme, and now, he works with the SeaChange initiative, which aims to implement interventions in the fishing villages to enhance community and environmental health. The programme’s purpose is to empower coastal communities, strengthen community institutions, and engage them in coastal and marine resource management in the long run.
He also volunteers with Coastal Green Zone which is a voluntary outreach initiative especially for the children and coastal communities working in the Andaman and Nicobar. He loves snorkeling, traveling, jungle camping, and encouraging environmental education in coastal communities.
Abhishek Chakraborty
Senior Programme Associate, SeaChange ANI
Abhishek started his journey in the social sector during his bachelors as a LGBTQ rights activist and mobiliser in Assam. He has been one of the organisers for the first five editions of the annual Queer Pride Walk of Guwahati till 2018. During his Masters, Abhishek got an opportunity to explore diverse areas of work and found his comfort in rural development. He completed his Master’s thesis on understanding resilience towards annual floods of Assam through the perspective of women from flood affected communities. He began his work in rural development at Samaj Pragati Sahayog in Madhya Pradesh where he worked on Participatory Water Governance, focusing on equitable ground water access, drinking water security, sustainable agriculture practices and women-led collectives. He has also worked with Watershed Support Services & Activities Network (WASSAN), where he worked on designing and implementing gender-responsive training modules on millet-based enterprise development for SHG women. Abhishek continues to be associated with organisations in Assam on LGBTQ rights and rural livelihoods as a consultant on project designing and grant proposal writing. Abhishek loves long bike-rides, solo-travelling, swimming and a good book to end the day with.
At Dakshin, Abhishek is working in the Andaman Islands as the Senior Programme Associate for the SeaChange initiative.
Rajath B
Programme Associate, SeaChange ANI
Rajath’s interests are in the sectors of environment, water, local governance and fundamental human rights. With experience, he has come to realize that various themes of sustainable development are interconnected. He would like to work towards fair allocation of such common resources in a way that is sustainable. He feels that most of the issues mentioned above converge in the water sector, which has piqued his interest in the water and allied sectors.
He completed an undergraduate course in Civil Engineering and felt that he wanted to have a different perspective to look at the world. This led him to the Master’s in Public Policy and Governance course offered at Azim Premji University. The course was a great start to developing a new perspective, which evolved with experiences of working on Watershed Development in Rajasthan with the Foundation for Ecological Security. Now, he is interested in working as a reflective practitioner in an intersectional development space.
He has joined Dakshin’s SeaChange initiative in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a Programme Associate. His work there involves extensive fieldwork, community engagement and interactions with stakeholders at various levels pertaining to socio-ecological challenges faced by local communities. He is excited to be a part of this initiative and work with the team to develop interventions and potential solutions based on community engagements.
He enjoys spending time watching movies, making conversations, birding and going on short rides once in a while.
Aplonia Topno
Facilitator, Foundational Learning
Aplonia is a teacher at the after-school learning programme conducted by Dakshin Foundation under the Wipro Applying Thought in Schools initiative. She holds a Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) and has had experience in the domain of school-support and curricular training for students of primary and upper-primary school. She enjoys learning new things and is particularly talented at picking up new languages.
Mrinal Kanti Bhowmick (Montu)
Housekeeping In Charge
Mrinal Kanti Bhowmick is ANET’s first employee and has been with us since ANET’s inception. As the Housekeeping in-Charge, he is the face behind your clean bedding, termite-free walls and shiny, stocked bathrooms. He is also experienced in snake handling and rescue, and has interests in birding. Montu da, as he is fondly known, lives in Wandoor, South Andaman and speaks Hindi and Bengali. He is a man of few words, but is known to silently orchestrate elaborate pranks. He also has a keen eye for detail and few secrets escape him. Catch him at volleyball to see his killer serves. Montu da, at other times, is a benevolent uncle to the base; treating everyone to sweets and fruit from his home.
Naveen Ekka
Operations Manager
Naveen Ekka is one of our longest serving employees and currently serves as the Operations and Purchases Manager at ANET. He is a certified diver with field experience in marine research, birding, snake handling and turtle surveys. Having served various roles at the base as well as at field sites, he is full of stories. Naveen is from Badakhadi village in Rutland, South Andaman and speaks Hindi and Sadri. He might seem absent-minded, confused or forgetful on an average day, but he has an unmatched sharpness in the field, both in the forest and the sea. Naveen is unassuming and modest, but a master of subaltern skills – he can climb most trees, handle venomous snakes, brew rice beer and also spin a fire poi. His quick wit and unrestrained laughter can make you feel welcome immediately.
Jeevan Horo
Field Assistant & Boat Operator
Jeevan Horo is a Boat Operator and Field Assistant. He has experience in boat surveys and sample processing techniques having experience with plankton monitoring. He also has interests and expertise in birding, diving and forest surveys. Jeevan is from Badakhadi village in Rutland, South Andaman and speaks Hindi and Sadri. He enjoys being outdoors and even on an off-day, you will find Jeevan fishing or birding, and when he can, snorkelling. He is always enthusiastic to help new projects and determined to learn new skills. Jeevan lives life to its full; you can watch him play volleyball with grace and set the dance floor on fire after hours.
Sebian Horo
Field Assistant
Sebian first served as a field assistant at the turtle camp in Little Andaman. He is experienced in forestry censusing techniques and takes a keen interest in botany and natural history, and also birding and diving. More recently, Sebian has served a field assistant for the Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Network (LEMoN) plots established by NCBS in the Andaman Islands. Sebi is from Badakhadi village in Rutland and speaks Hindi and Sadri. On field, he is dependable and excited and is always good-humoured. He has a keen eye for photographs and a good ear for music as you will find out from his playlists. On a good day, you will find him playing with Crusoe, our dog at the base.
Johnson Kongari
Chef & Field Assistant
Johnson Kongari is a Chef and Field Assistant at ANET. He has field experience in birding and forestry, having worked regularly on forestry plots in the Andamans. Johnson is from Badakhadi village in Rutland, South Andaman and speaks Hindi and Sadri. He might seem quiet and shy but is highly skilled in work and play – watch him chop onions at lightning speed while looking away, before dinner, and demolishing veterans at table tennis after. He has a keen eye and a sharp ear in the forest, sighting and identifying species by quick flights and calls. Although not a regular birder, you are guaranteed unusual sightings when out with him.
Vishal Kujur (Ledu)
Field Assistant
Ledu has been serving as the project in-charge for the Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Network (LEMoN) plots established by NCBS in the Andaman Islands. He is experienced in all major forestry censusing techniques and also has short-term experience in turtle surveys, diving, birding and mangrove census protocols. Ledu is from Badakhadi village in Rutland, speaks Hindi and Sadri and has a fair command over English. Ledu seeks thrill and enjoys playing volleyball, racing his motorbike, watching action movies and cooking extremely spicy food. His unique sense of humour, bizarre riddles and constant stream of catchphrases will confuse you at first, but will eventually grow on you.
Niraj Kumar Minj
Administrative Assistant
Niraj Kumar Minj is the Administrative Assistant and the main person to contact for your bills and internet troubles. Besides his desk job, he is interested in surveys, birding and diving. Niraj is from Manpur in South Andaman and speaks Hindi and English. He has his finger on the pulse of local news and can help you with your questions about logistics in the islands. He has a deep friendship with Ledu based on body building and motorbikes. But he also has the occasional whimsical side; he makes wishes on shooting stars hoping to find ambergris in North Wandoor beach.
Babu Kutty
Boat Captain, Khlee
Babu Kutty is the Boat Captain of the research vessel Khlee and Maintenance in-charge. He is a certified diver and with his knowledge and experience navigating the seascape around Wandoor, he has been integral to several marine research projects in the past. He also has short term experience in turtle surveys. Babu is from Betapur in Middle Andaman and speaks Hindi and Karen. He is the embodiment of an episode of Man vs. Wild; at odds with nature, on an eternal conquest and willing to eat the most unusual things raw. His daredevilry extends beyond food into medicine and most of his antidotes surpass “alternative”. He might frustrate you with his arguments, but he also has a softer side; he loves playing
Manisha Singh
Kitchen & Housekeeping Assistant
Manisha Singh has responsibilities in the kitchen and in housekeeping. She magically cleans dirty vessels, dusty rooms and also manages the laundry. Outside of base duties, she is interested in birding and forestry field work. Manisha is from Sunny Kattai in Diglipur, North Andaman and speaks Hindi, English and Sadri. Sunny also describes her general disposition. Although the only female staff member, she fearlessly calls out disorderliness and keeps everyone at the base accountable. Manisha is a quick and eager learner, and an incredibly hard worker. She would watch English films with you, but you do not want to fight her for TV time during an important serial.
Anand James Tirkey (James)
Base Coordinator & Field Assistant
James is the Base Coordinator at ANET. James has extensive research experience in forestry research, including censusing and data entry, herpetology research, birding and mangrove censusing. James is from Badakhadi village in Rutland, South Andaman and speaks Hindi, English and Sadri. He is analytical and rigorous, and in an alternate universe, an award-winning researcher. His scientific temperament and experience makes his advice invaluable to planning new projects. He hides from the limelight and can be exceedingly polite, but volleyball and table tennis can bring out his competitive side. You will know you have been accepted when he makes the occasional snide remark to pull your leg. He is also a keen naturalist; take a walk around the base with James and you are guaranteed to learn more than from any book.
Saw Thesorow
Boat Captain, Thisopa & Field Assistant
Thesorow is the Boat Captain for the research vessel Thisopa and Maintenance Assistant. He is a regular and experienced staff member for annual sea turtle surveys and has excellent working knowledge of the seascape around Wandoor. At base maintenance, he is especially skilled in woodworking and weaving bamboo. Each year, he spends several months at West Bay, a remote turtle camp in Little Andaman assisting with data collection on leatherbacks. Thesorow is from Mayabundar in North Andaman and speaks Hindi, English and Karen. He is a patient teacher and a perfectionist, who will make sure that you learn how to make mats, how to cut with a dao or how to tie knots, even if it takes too many attempts. But he is a stickler for time and would not think twice about leaving you on field if you are late. If you cross him, you can make amends; he has a sweet tooth.
Saw Watha (Agu)
Field Assistant, Carpenter & Maintenance Manager
Agu has been with ANET for more than 20 years and is a veteran of marine turtle surveys and monitoring across the Andaman and Nicobar islands. For several years, he singlehandedly managed the data collection and research activities of ANET’s sea turtle camp at Galathea in Great Nicobar. Agu’s own story of surviving the 2004 tsunami is one of great courage and determination and can be read here and here. He currently serves as the Carpenter and Maintenance in-charge at ANET. As one of our longest serving employees, Agu has contributed to the planning and construction of most of the current buildings in the campus including afforestation of the property. He has experience in island surveys of turtles and crocodiles and has served as boat captain in the past. Agu, is from Karmatang village in Mayabundar, North Andaman and speaks Hindi, English and Karen. He spends a lot of his free time fishing and he cooks seafood with a characteristic no-frills, functional approach. He makes slow, yet lasting friendships that will make you privy to his treasure chest of adventure stories, fantasy folk tales and repetitive humour. And maybe you’ll even learn to spot a joke before he breaks into his wicked smile.
Sarojini Tirkey
Kitchen and Housekeeping Assistant
Sarojini Tirkey is a kitchen and housekeeping staff at ANET with a longstanding relationship with the field station and its people. She works conscientiously at managing resources and people in the kitchen and contributes to cleaning rooms and keeping them more than liveable.
Saroj is from Badakhadi village in Rutland and speaks Hindi and Sadri. She is observant, opinionated and assertive – a no-nonsense elder sister to many who live at or float through ANET. She also holds extensive knowledge of plants in and around the property, expertly using them in food and medicine. But Saroj also has a lighter side; she is quick to laugh and makes everyone laugh with her emotive and witty stories. She is a dreamer and a tenacious doer; she balances imagination and practicality while parenting her two lively sons.
Sushil Lakra
Field Assistant and Boat Operator
Sushil is a boat operator and is in charge of the leatherback monitoring camp in Little Andaman Island. Since 2013, he has spent many a sleepless night assisting in leatherback surveys, as well as accompanying researchers in their fieldwork for marine research. One could call him a man of many skills, for he works with wood, weaves mats, and does electrical wiring in addition to his base roles. Although he is quiet at first, once he opens up he is quick with a witty joke and a mischievous grin to match. He enjoys fishing, cooking, and making crafts. Don’t miss the chance to go for an intertidal walk with him, for he will be sure to show you things you never knew existed! Sushil is from Mayabunder in North Andaman and speaks Hindi and Sadri.
Meera PK
Programme Assistant, SeaChange ANI
Meera, a thalassophile by nature, belongs to Kannur, Malabar Coast of Kerala which is renowned for its beautiful beaches and rich cultural heritage. This served as an inspiration to her for pursuing a career in the Fisheries sector. She has a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Kannur University and she did an internship on the topic, “Plant-Animal interaction with respect to Phenology” with NCF, Bangalore. She holds a master’s degree in marine biology from Pondicherry University’s Port Blair campus. She has always been fascinated by the marine world and living in the Andaman Islands has added to her passion for island life. After her master’s, she worked as a Sagarmitra with the Kerala Fisheries Department for two years. This paved the way for her to continue her career in the Fisheries sector and work for the well-being of the fishing community. She loves and enjoys nature as much as other things like photographing a moment, journeys to different places and playing badminton.
She is currently working with the SeaChange Andamans Team as a Programme Assistant. Her previous experience working as a Sagarmitra, will help her in creating a link between the different fisheries stakeholders in the project sites.