Sudhamma, Thattekkad’s first woman forest guide.

Sudha Chandran, whom everyone here calls Sudhamma, ran a small tea stall near the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary. There she developed a deep interest in the birds around her.

She learned under Dr R. Sugathan, a student of the late Dr Sálim Ali, who helped her become a licensed guide. She was the first woman licensed as a forest guide at Thattekkad.

As her knowledge grew she opened Jungle Bird, a homestay for birdwatchers and wildlife lovers. She now knows the breeding seasons, migrations and calls of almost every bird in Thattekkad, and guides visitors in English as well as Malayalam.