TIMES OF INDIA (New Delhi) 28 May 08 HR exec manages people & snakes too (Prachee Bajania)
Ahmedabad: As a professional working with a multi-national firm, Dipesh Rak[bleep] handles people. And, outside the office, this senior human resource (HR) executive handles snakes! What is more interesting is that at 28 years, Dipesh is already a 16-year veteran in rescuing and rehabilitating these venomous creatures.
At 12, this "Mowgli", as he was nicknamed by his friends, was bitten by the deadly cobra. Unlike most children of his age, who would have developed a snake phobia, Dipesh decided to befriend them and work for their conservation. He was also enamoured by a snake charmer in his neighbourhood and started bunking school to frequent the mini-zoo Sundarvan.
"I have loved animals since my childhood," says Dipesh, who works with AddRec Solutions India Pvt Ltd, a human resource development company.
Not surprisingly, his parents were terrified of his perilous interests and tried their best to divert his attention from snakes. His brother Ashesh still describes Dipesh's hobby as "playing with RDX".
"My husband and I were always scared of snakes and it came as a complete shock when our own son expressed the desire to act their saviour," says his mother Gopa Rak[bleep].
However, Dipesh was unrelenting in his passion. He went on to offer voluntary services at a local animal rescue centre, where he assisted veterinary doctors in their surgeries on reptiles and helped with their post-operative care and documentation of data.
"Many snakes take refuge in urban homes and it becomes necessary to rescue them and rehabilitate them in their natural environment," says Dipesh, who attends close to 300 panic calls every year.
He now functions independently rescuing snakes and lizards from places as far off as Gandhinagar and releasing them at Thol Bird Sanctuary as well as Hingolgadh.
Interestingly, when entire city cuddles inside their homes during heavy rains, Dipesh ventures out in the night with his expensive imported equipment like snake hooks, tongs and probes to rescue these cold-blooded creatures.
Recently too, he was bitten by the poisonous saw-scaled viper. "Hazards is a part of any profession," he quips.
And, to all those who dread reptiles, Dipesh has this piece of advice. "Reptiles are not just hated widely but also gravely misunderstood. It is common for people to beat snakes to death, a practice widespread in the rural areas. Snakes don't bite unless threatened and it's a tragedy that these friends of farmers die such a painful death," says Dipesh.
HR exec manages people & snakes too