Nishand (Watching and learning from nature)

Written by Nishand Venugopal

If people ask me what I do for a living then I simply prefer to say ‘I watch and learn from nature’ because it is the process that keeps me going, and makes me feel alive most of the time. Sometimes watching nature can be painful because of the harm we do to this precious environment knowingly or unknowingly. But it is from that pain, anxiety and confusion, which starts the process of catharsis from which most of my work has been created. I am grateful to nature for that, and that’s why I prefer to be known as a nature enthusiast.

People of various professions, whether they are doctors, engineers, lawyers, soldiers, politicians etc. can be nature enthusiasts too. If they respect nature for what it is and accept nature with all its beauty and defects, highs and lows, good and bad phases, in health and sickness that’s something worth living for. They might be simply observing nature, preserving those memories and experiences. They always are thinking about how to conserve the biodiversity of this Earth in their own way. For those ‘nature enthusiasts’ you need to be proudly saying it anywhere at any time.

I do get suspicious looks, curious enquiries and sometimes intimidating stares as many people have got so used to looking and walking and talking to their phones every moment of their life. They find it odd to see a person looking up and down, left and right, over the tree and under the bushes.  I have even observed people talking on their phones while using treadmills in gyms, which can be dangerous, so is doing so while you are driving. When I get any enquiry I patiently try to explain what my objective is. That’s my duty towards nature and its countless inhabitants who require a voice to share their concerns. That’s why I call myself a nature educator and communicator. I can’t blame them for their curiosity about nature, explaining my behaviour to them is my duty.  

Maybe people won’t understand it, may even judge you, shun you, block you, ridicule you or look at you as if they saw a ‘mad person’. Generally, we are taught to stay a course like a racehorse and are forced to ‘run, run, run’ until we collapse or become invalid. There will be someone on your back hitting you, intimidating you, enticing you, encouraging you to stay the course and ‘WIN’ the race. Now that’s what unfortunately many people might think when they say ‘what job they do’…It has a lot to do with the societal pressure upon people to stay on the path of conformity. 

I respect their struggle to put on a brave face, taking up the huge burden of responsibility, squashing their earthly aspirations and heavenly dreams to join the race to keep up with others. I felt that many even after having a small chance to look up ahead to see where they are heading, keep their head down and look only on devices or counting their footsteps to distract themselves. They are like those kids looking at the clock or waiting for the bell to ring inside the classrooms with the hope that the next hour will bring something better. The reality is that we don’t know what we are going to face in life’s next blind curve.

Remind yourselves about the dreams that commercial entities advertise in order to sell their unnecessary and sometimes extremely overpriced commodities. They might be made out of overexploiting nature and underprivileged communities. This is another way to keep most of the people running around doing regular chores so that some might make a lot of money and splurge it to show off. Mostly we are trapped in this extreme consumerism loop like prey in a spider’s web. The difference might be that many fall into this knowingly copying the ‘famous and celebrated’ in fictional advertisements or social media handles. Maybe some might don’t know what else to do.  In this situation, some might even think the definition of JOB means ‘JUST OVERBURDENED’.  

This journey as a nature enthusiast always required sacrifices. You have to convince your near and dear ones about the path and its perils. Thankfully most of my folks agree and support me. I have to give a share of credit to them for their unflinching support even on occasions when I lost my way (it happens). In my journey, there will be mountains to climb and hurdles to cross and there will be stress too- both physically and mentally. But now I will have to own it and figure a way out as this is my choice, my way of living. 

Let’s hope that after reading this, they might give a thought on what to do next. 80% of the stress that they take from their job is not worth it. Yet many consider simply ‘doing a job’ the same as ‘what you do for a living’. This idea after going through my experience I humbly agree to disagree…For me, retrieving a connection with nature was the answer, I hope others will find their answers too. 

So what do you do for a living?

For more of Nishand, check out @nishandvenugopal on Instagram