COBRA

“People who kill them have no idea about the importance of snakes in our ecosystem. Snakes tend to get defensive and react aggressively. Perhaps the seeds of wanting to do something for snakes were sown when, as a young girl, I saw people kill snakes. It left a profound impact on my mind.”

Siddharth Rao has worked as an ecologist and conservationist for the last 18 years, and is on a mission to protect and revive forgotten savannah ecosystems.

She is the youngest female CRPF officer to be a part of COmmando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) and is currently serving the volatile region of Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

An integral part of the nation's armed forces, India's elite Special Forces are among some of the most formidable military units in the world.