English teacher’s journey through lens and wildlife

English teacher Pallavi Sarkar's wildlife photography journey, from a macaque encounter to Nat Geo features, intertwined with teaching career.

Some years ago, while visiting Bandipur National Park, Pallavi Sarkar, an English teacher at PSBB in KK Nagar, stumbled upon a moment that fell straight out of a wildlife documentary — a baby rhesus macaque caught in a reverie, gaping. “The monkey was full of antics, climbing onto the van in front of us. Then he froze, staring at his own reflection in the side mirror, finally kissing his reflection,” she recalls. That single shot, taken in her early wildlife photography journey, led her way in the floodlight, featuring on BBC, New Yorker Post, and even bought by Ripley’s Entertainment. National Geographic, too, came along, especially for her bird photography.

Ms. Pallavi thanks that one hearty encounter with the macaque for pulling her towards the national parks all over India. “Now, most of my trips are meticulously planned. Teaching English is my profession, I align my passion with school holidays or long weekends,” she says.

Her focus has also shifted from traditional safaris to bird photography, a pursuit that is time-intensive but fits snugly within her academic calendar. “During the school year, bird photography becomes more accessible, as long weekends can be dedicated to nearby spots like Pulicat lake. It all lies in the narrative of the picture,” says Ms. Pallavi.

But, for the teacher, photography isn’t just a pastime — it is a lifeline. “A light in the shining armour during my life’s tougher days,” she adds. When Ms. Pallavi moved from her hometown of Kolkata to Chennai for the teaching job, she did not see photography as anything more than a personal passion, which continues thus far.

“I have never considered making it a profession,” she says, reflecting on her 22-year-long career in education. “It is not something I associate with earning a living.” Growing up in an army family, she spent much of her childhood immersed in nature and wildlife — a connection that naturally led her to pick up a camera.

Food photography

While her food photography has earned a spot in National Geographic’s Incredible India series, it is her bird photography over the past three years that has truly captured the attention. She recalls a moment in Kerala where she spotted the Nilgiri Pipit and the large frogmouth, both endemic and vulnerable species. “It took hours of patience and a sharp eye to find them,” she says, which were eventually featured in Nat Geo.