What the brainiacs love

With International Women and Girl’s Day in science assembly hovering around, city-based women of science tell mid-day their go-to spots to geek out

Beauty, they say, lies in the eyes of the beholder. Well, so does science, if you know where to look. We spoke to four women of science who opened up our eyes to the scientific beauty of the city’s spaces, that we now look at from a new perspective. These are their top nature picks in the city.

Prachi Hatkar, Marine Biologist

For many of us, being around nature is not just a vacation but a way to unwind from work, but for the fortunate ones—like me—working around the ocean and its alluring beauty is just a day at work. Born and brought up in Mumbai, I have always felt close to the ocean, but growing up, I used to spend my vacation at my father’s birth place, a small village in Palghar’s Kelwa.

Prachi Hatkar

Being brought up around the coastal state led to a passion for collecting shells, watching and petting animals at zoos and getting a better understanding of them. Mumbai has a unique marine life, which is not at all explored. For this reason, I love the shore walks conducted by Marine Life of Mumbai, usually around Haji Ali, Juhu beach, Carter Road and many other seaside areas in Mumbai. You will be surprised to see creatures like jellyfish, bubble snails, sentinel crabs and many more that stay along the coast when you go on these walks.

Tarannum Mulla, Mangrove Ecologist

Flamingo sighting at Airoli sancturary

Not a lot of people know this but Maharashtra has a beautiful mangrove collection. Back home in Kolhapur where I was born and grew up, I used to run and sit under the big luscious trees to hide from my parents’ scolding. There, sitting under the tree, I used to wonder, “how does nature work?” Growing up, I developed an interest in the climate crisis and was drawn towards mangroves and their conservation. I have been in Mumbai for more than two years now, and it amazes me that people of this city do not know about the unique flamingo sanctuary in Airoli and the luscious mangroves that surround it. Besides, there are boats rides to  view the flock, and this is the season when the flamingos start migrating to Mumbai.

Dr Asha KK, Principal Scientist, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology

The bustling Sassoon Dock in south Mumbai is an unlikely hub of marine life for the tourists

I grew up in Kochi and have travelled across India for my work. Growing up in a coastal area was always fun—running on beaches or just sitting and listening to the calm waves, hanging out with the fishermen and even shell picking is among my fondest memories from home. These are also the reasons why I fell in love with my chosen profession. I shifted to Mumbai around 2022 for work and now work closely with the Mumbai Port Authority.

Asha KK

One fine day, while walking through the Sassoon Dock, I saw the beautiful chaos—the noise, the shouting, the hustle and bustle of the people hawking the varieties of fish and crabs, and just like that, I was in love with the city. Early morning walks around the old dock is an experience in itself. There are also some places you can find some of the rare species of marine life, such as Karanja, Palghar and Thane.

Dipti Humraskar, Wildlife biologist and nature educator

I grew up very close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Back then, I used to visit the park largely to hang out with friends or to go cycling. Later, I was introduced to wildlife by my professors at Bhavan’s college. Finally, a few years ago, I started my own little edu-venture, where I take children and their parents on forest treks. My idea is to make people fall in love with nature like I did.

Dipti Humraskar

There are several trails in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, such as Shilonda Trail, the Gaimukh plateau —the second highest peak in the park and Upper Kanheri Trail. It would be unfair to my love for nature if I had to choose my favorite trail, but what I do love the most is the highest point, Jambulmal, from where you can see the two most beautiful lakes in Mumbai—Tulsi and Vihar.

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