A Part of the Whole, and the Whole in Every Part

The story of Chandrashekar Koira, a Nature Guide with a childlike curiosity for learning from the land.

In a quiet village at the foothills of Nandi Hills, where mist settles over the trees and birds greet the morning, Chandrashekar Koira grew up feeling deeply at home in nature. For him, the forest wasn’t an escape. It was his habitat.

But over time, even the places that raised us begin to change.

Koira Lake in his village is a subjoin of the Arkavathi River catchment It feeds into the veins of south Indiaʼs water network, eventually joining the Kaveri, one of the regionʼs lifelines. What was once a vibrant space for birds, cattle, and quiet evenings was drying up. That was when Shekar, along with his advocate and a few like-minded people, decided to take action, They started the Koira lake restoration project in the year 2020. It a growing unease with creeping urbanisation and illegal mining. They were disturbed by the quiet disappearance of what once was. What they didnʼt know was that this act would shape the next chapter of Shekarʼs life.

One day, during a visit to the lake, Shekar got acquainted with Priya, the founder of The Naturalist School. Impressed by his involvement, Shekarʼs lawyer signed him up for the Certified Nature Guide (CNG) program. At the time, Shekar didnʼt even know what he was signing up for.

“I thought there would only be online classes, apart from one week of on-the-job training,” he laughs. Once I reached, I figured out that itʼs a full offline program with one week of residential training.ˮ

He didnʼt know what a nature guide was. He only remembered school lessons about pigeons and peacocks. But the CNG course showed him there was a whole world beyond that.

“I thought they were called parrots,ˮ he said once. “Only during the course did I learn that they are actually parakeets.ˮ

It felt like he had stepped through a doorway. A doorway to a world of learning about forests, birds, insects, water systems, soil types, and plant behaviours, Each topic opened up a new room of wonder. His classmates, all 14 of them, became friends and fellow explorers. After graduating, Shekar didnʼt stop. From student to alumni, from volunteer to part-time employee at TNS, his journey led him in many directions.

Today, Shekar coordinates training programs, such as the one recently conducted for the Chenchu tribes of Amrabad Tiger Reserve (CNG Batch 4). He conductsbiodiversity walks in Nandi Hills, Koira lake, and Dibbagi hills (Anne Betta). He collaborates with WWF and EMPRI (Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute), and even leads nature sessions at Lalbagh and Bandipur. With up to 30 to 40 participants joining him on his walks, Shekarʼs words and observations help people see the forest with new eyes.

It isnʼt just a walk. Itʼs a study of the landscape. “Earlier, I would travel just to enjoy nature,ˮ he says. “Now, I look deeper. What tree is this? What insect lives here? What other species are here? I want to understand everything about a place.ˮ

That curiosity has stayed with him like a compass. A nudge towards learning. He studies. He asks questions. He wonders. And that wonder has turned into purpose. Beyond guiding, Shekar also wears other hats. He is a farmer doing agriculture along with his family; he is also a real estate agent. He conducts webinars and career counselling sessions in colleges as a part of TNS, assists with forest department communications and program logistics. Heʼs a freelancer, a budding trainer, and a passionate naturalist.

As a result of Koira Lake’s restoration, nearly 80 native species of birds and animals have returned to the area. The project benefits over 200 villages, and stands as a living reminder that healing the land is healing ourselves. But the work is not just ecological. It’s personal.

“I studied business,ˮ Shekar says, “but I didnʼt know who I really was. A son, a student, a friend?ˮ He had even enrolled in a Masterʼs in Business Administration but left midway, realising it no longer made sense to pursue something disconnected from what he truly cared about. “It was only through the CNG program that I started to understand who I truly wanted to be, who I was.ˮ

The land shaped him, and now he shapes how others see the land.

He believes in coexistence, and sees humans as not outside nature, but an integral part of it. And when asked about the future, he doesn’t speak of destinations. He speaks of learning.

His mind remains open, curious, like a child seeing the forest for the first time, again and again.

“Being last in the food chain, the ecosystem survives without humans. But the ecosystem does not survive without a tiger or an elephant.ˮ

A grounded naturalist. A learner for life. A part of the whole, and the whole in every part.