The incredible story of Krishna Sarkar, the butterfly woman of Kolkata is indeed a fascinating one. A senior staff nurse of OT, Cardiology Department at SSKM Hospital, Krishna Sarkar is now an integral part of ‘butterfly identification’ in Bengal. Her journey in this domain dates back to the Orkut days when scribbling down the pages online, she came across the world of butterflies, majestic yet fragile winged wonders of the natural world. In the beginning, Krishna mostly relied on digital data to gain knowledge on butterflies. Subsequently, her personal quest for identifying butterflies also began. The turning point of her life was indeed the day when she came in direct contact with Isaac Kehimkar, the ‘butterfly man of India’, an avid naturalist, photographer, teacher and prolific author.
It has been more than a decade in the domain of photography and eventually Krishna Sarkar has won so many accolades. In 2014, she was invited by the forest department to work in Rajabhatkhawa Interpretation Centre in Buxar Reserve. In 2015, she was invited to work in a prestigious US Full Bright Fellowship project where she was assigned to find out whether there have been significant changes among butterflies due to climate change. The outcome of the project was exhibited in four metro cities in India and Krishna Sarkar was felicitated for her vital and invaluable contribution. The President of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) herself congratulated her on stage. Krishna Sarkar is also credited with the discovery of new butterfly Hoary Palmer (Unkana Ambasa).
There is a popular misconception that butterflies are not regularly seen in urban sectors. Krishna Sarkar clarifies in her own words, “For working professionals like us, it is not possible to venture our trips so often. You would be surprised to know that we click butterflies on a regular basis in areas like the Botanical Garden, the Chintamanimar Garden, the Rabindra Sarobar Lake, the Victoria Memorial, Mohorkunj etc. I remember, we had spent quality time in Barddhaman, Kalyani, Haringhata as well.” Anyhow, the whole aspect of butterflying isn’t an easy task either as Krishna Sarkar herself says, “You need to have ample physical strength, stamina. Sometimes we have to walk 10-15 km to click the perfect frame. Interestingly, there are certain butterflies like Tawny Rajah, Duffer and others who dislike flowers and don’t prefer to sit on flowers either.”
No doubt, people of the calibre of Krishna Sarkar are fighting tirelessly for raising consciousness for the conservation of nature. Krishna Sarkar looks very optimistic with the present generation as she says, “Gone are those days when people were not aware of ecology. I have conducted classes with kids in remote areas in Sikkim. I have seen their admiration for nature. All is not lost. Mother Nature is indeed beautiful and it is our duty to take care of it in the best interests of human civilization.” And importantly enough, the world today needs more and more enthusiastic persons like Krishna Sarkar who go beyond their normal activities to take interest in the vast physical environment, which throbs with life and activities of creatures spelling out precisely the varied beauty of Mother Nature.
By Ranabir Bhattacharyya
