Explanation on Green bee eater helped me to crack UPSC exam: RV Karnan

GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan recalled how discussing the green bee-eater during his 2007 IFS interview became a memorable moment in his career. A keen birdwatcher, Karnan also shared his experiences of birding across India at the Hyderabad Bird Atlas event

Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner RV Karnan said he had spoken for about five minutes about the green bee-eater during his interview for the Indian Forest Service (IFS) recruitment examination in 2007.

Since he was a BSc Forestry graduate, the interviewers asked him several questions related to wildlife. Karnan was among the toppers and said he believed his discussion on the tiny bird had impressed the interviewers.

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Karnan joined the service as a Maharashtra-cadre IFS officer. Later, he cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination again, securing the 158th rank in 2012, and was selected as a Telangana-cadre IAS officer.

Sharing his experiences of birdwatching, Karnan, who completed his BSc (Forestry) from the Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, said he developed a keen interest in birdwatching after his seniors asked him to identify bird species during a ragging session in his early days as a BSc student.

Sharing his thoughts with birdwatchers during the closing ceremony of the fourth season of the Hyderabad Bird Atlas (HBA) at the National Institute of Tourism and Management (NITHM), Gachibowli, on Saturday night, the senior IAS officer said his love for birds had prompted him to travel across the country over the past two decades.

He said watching hopping munias, Indian pittas in grasslands and hornbills flying overhead could be a stress buster amid today’s hectic lifestyle.

Stating that he regularly goes birding, Karnan shared his experiences from visits to the Sundarbans, Corbett National Park, the Western Ghats and several other places.

When HBA team leads Sriram Reddy and Gopal explained their efforts in identifying 248 bird species during the past four seasons of the bird survey conducted across the city, Karnan appreciated them and assured them of all possible support to create an accurate bird atlas for the State capital.

WWF-India Chairman and Trustee Anil Kumar V Epur, NITHM Director Prof Venkataramana, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) State Director Farida Tampal and HBA volunteers were present.