Sanjay Gubbi - Session 01, 2022-03-29

(00:00:56) Early life and upbringing in rural Karnataka

Sanjay Gubbi talks about his early life and upbringing in rural Karnataka, India. He says he grew up in various smaller places in southern Karnataka due to his father’s transferable job, mostly in rural and semi-rural parts of the Deccan Plateau area. He reflects on how this upbringing shaped his understanding of society, interpersonal skills, and eventually influenced his approach to conservation. He shares insights into his family background, emphasising the educational advancements made in his generation. Gubbi vividly recalls experiences from his rural upbringing, including time spent with grandparents, observing agricultural practices, and understanding rural lifestyles, all of which greatly contributed to his conservation work.

(00:10:31) Early experiences and siblings

Gubbi discusses his early exposure to the world, starting from the first standard when he spent holidays at his grandparents’ place. He recalls experiences like walking in wetlands, gender-segregated theatres, and buying vegetables from weekly shanties. Gubbi reflects on societal norms of that time and contrasts his time with both sides of his family, highlighting the dual occupations in rural life. Frequent family moves due to his father’s job exposed him to challenges faced by farmers and shaped his social dynamics. Gubbi also mentions his siblings and their current living arrangements.

(00:19:18) Schooling and scouting

Gubbi discusses his childhood experiences of constant movement across different places in Karnataka. He recalls adapting to new environments and the impact of small incidents which had a profound effect. Gubbi shares his feelings towards school subjects, mentioning those he enjoyed and disliked. He also touches on his early exposure to nature through scouting, where he developed a strong connection to the outdoors. He also emphasises the importance of simplicity and hands-on learning in biology education. He also talks about how, as a child, he developed an interest in nature which was further nurtured through scouting experiences.

(00:26:19) Upbringing in a Digambar Jain community

Gubbi discusses his upbringing in a Digambar Jain community and being influenced by the Jain philosophy of coexistence and harmony with nature. He reflects on the conflict between his personal philosophy and wildlife policies that involve culling. He delves into the strong religious influence in his family, especially from his grandparents, who were ardent followers. While not an ardent follower, Gubbi says he takes the principles of the religion seriously.

(00:30:35) No access to wildlife literature and playing cricket

He shares that he did not have the opportunity to read books outside of school due to financial constraints. He highlights the lack of exposure to wildlife literature or any external motivation for his interest in nature.

Gubbi reflects on his cricket-playing days, representing the state Mofussils, and reveals how discrimination, both in cricket and society, has shaped his empathy towards marginalised communities. He details the challenges faced in pursuing cricket professionally, including financial limitations and the lack of access to coaching centres.

(00:38:01) Playing cricket and family trip to Jammu and Kashmir

Gubbi discusses his travel experiences during his cricket-playing days, highlighting trips to various rural parts of Karnataka where he played for village cricket teams. He describes the warm hospitality, with locals hosting and feeding the players. Gubbi reminisces about the unique rural cricket atmosphere, the crowds, and the rewards of appreciation.

Additionally, he recalls a family trip to Jammu and Kashmir while in the seventh standard, in 1980, where they travelled by second-class train, cooked in trains and dharamshalas, and experienced the beauty of places like Sonamarg and Pahalgam.

(00:42:14) Pre-university course (PUC) days

Gubbi reflects on his lack of career aspirations during his school years, sharing his parents’ role in making choices for him. The focus was on securing a middle-class life. He entered science in PUC, opting for electronics over biology, aligning with his father’s ambitions for him.

Gubbi shares memories of his PUC days in Tumakuru, between 1985 and 1987, highlighting the impactful teaching methods of passionate educators. Despite the English medium, Kannada was the primary language for communication. He also talks about the shaping of disciplined habits that transcend into his conservation work.

(00:48:06) Passion for wildlife and Conservation Corps Volunteers (CCV) programme

He discusses his transition from electrical engineering to conservation. Disenchanted with engineering, Gubbi’s passion for wildlife grew, inspired by visits to Nagarhole during his PUC days. In his third year of engineering, he seized an opportunity with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s CCV programme, alongside friends Raghunath and Ravindra Kumar N [Archivist’s note: at the time spoken about by Gubbi, it was called the ‘World Wildlife Fund’, but the index term and summary use the authority record name ‘World Wide Fund for Nature’].

Gubbi worked in Kokkarebellur, guided by S. Subramanya. He shares names of other present-day conservationists who were part of the CCV programme and who have gone on to make significant contributions to the field.

Despite initial success, Gubbi recognised the need for a degree and eventually returned to complete his engineering after almost two years in the CCV programme.

(00:53:50) Developing an interest in wildlife

Gubbi traces his wildlife interest back to high school, where he began bird watching around Tumakuru. Interacting with members of the Merlin Nature Club, Bangalore, he recalls publishing a bird checklist for Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. His genuine passion led to resource mapping (not knowing at the time that that is what it was called), documenting nesting trees and bird behaviours without formal training.

He also shares the sentimental value of preserving old notebooks and documents from this period.

(01:00:59) CCV programme

Gubbi discusses his involvement in the CCV programme and collaboration with friends. He shares a story of trying to create a makeshift bird ring and successfully releasing a pelican chick at the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens [Archivist’s note: the interviewee refers to it as ‘Mysore Zoo’ but the index term and summary use the authority record name ‘Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens’]. He highlights the fun aspects of the CCV programme, bonding with friends, and their backgrounds. He credits the Merlin Nature Club and the WWF nature club movement for shaping conservationists’ early learning experiences.

He describes the challenging decision to quit engineering for the CCV programme and his parents’ initial resistance.

[Archivist’s note: at the time spoken about by Gubbi, it was called the ‘Bangalore Transport Service (BTS)’, but the index term and summary use the authority record name ‘Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC)’]