As a child, Baijilal Padmaja Kumari Rathore grew up hearing Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’ stories from her grandmother. In which Bagheera and Baloo were her most favourite characters.
At times she also used to spend her childhood days in the Godwar region where her father Maharaj Rajendra Singh had inherited a tract of land which he always dreamt of converting into a forest and rewild it from its native flora and indigenous critically endangered species of medicinal plants and scrubs.
Bush Dinner at Bagheera’s camp Jawai.
Baijilal Padmaja Kumari Jodhpur on safari at Jawai hills.
Baijilal Padmaja Kumari Jodhpur.
Rani Saheba Durgesh Nandini Kumari Jodhpur.
Baijilal Padmaja Kumari Jodhpur.
Maharaj Rajendra Singh himself is a wildlife conservation aficionado and for 46 years he has been actively working and positively impacted in regions flora and fauna. He has also volunteered with the Indian Air force and has conducted surveys with the government for various projects such as Great Indian Bustard conservation, Black Buck protection, CITIES, WWF, flood-affected areas, afforestation water conservation and other notable conservation projects.
In 2006, he and his wife Rani Durgesh Nandini Singh founded Bagheera’s camp in the Godwar region on the inherited med land from his ancestors. Rani Durgesh Nandini has been working for the welfare of women community, empowerment, health, hygiene, and physical fitness in equal measures in the Godwar region.
Baijilal Padmaja Kumari is a young enthusiastic naturalist as well conservation she has been working since last 10 years, in the Godwar Jawai area, where she is running an eco-lodge keeping in mind all the conservation measures, of not just wildlife, but also helping the local communities by giving them employment in the lodge, and running different programmes for the upliftment of women, saving water and conservation of rainwater by rainwater harvesting. Planting the local trees, eradicating the weed etc. Several other opportunities for the locals she has started by establishing a school of self-learning where she trains and grooms the local tribes in hospitality management.
Creating awareness and importance of the wildlife, and the indigenous species of plants and medicinal uses.
Bagheera’s camp is located in Masai mara escape of Godwar region it comprises tented accommodation and three villas of two-bedroom sets each made with the help of local tribals and local materials.
The main objective of Bagheera’s camp is the sustainable development of the Godwar region. Godwar is 150 years old lifeline and the last green western frontier of India and it acts as a bridge between Mewar and Marwar. Here animals and humans coexist in harmony.
An ecotel community has been built and operated and schools were created by tribals for wildlife between 2006 to 2018. With her help and guidance from 2014 to 2016, Godwar Chipkoo Movement providing wildlife awareness and conservation were started.
The restoration of Kambeshwar Mahadev also took place which provides a corridor for domestic and migratory species of flora and fauna. Godwar region is home to over 235 species of birds, six endangered wild cats, 30 medicinal plants, mammals like hyenas, sloth bears, mugger (freshwater Crocodile), pangolins. And also the endangered human communities of Garasiya tribes and Marwari Rabaris. Tourism in the Godwar region has impacted positively, effectively and uplifted the lives of around 3500 people in the vicinity directly or indirectly.
The couple is perfect envoys to spread the message of soil conservations with respect to humans, animals, birds, plants, trees, shrubs, and water. Both their daughters have inherited the quality of their parents of respect for elders and love for nature.
Princess Padmaja Kumari Rathore after completing her graduation in BA Hons and Hotel management from IHM Aurangabad decided to live her parents’ dream making it come true in every possible manner in the Godwar Jawai region. Princess Padmaja Kumari has been actively working in sensitive and sustainable wildlife tourism and also trying to reestablish the native flora hosting 30 species of endangered desert plants, where in she has restored 10 hectares of decimated land through sustainable grazing.