K.M. Abharna
K.M. Abharna, often called the “real-life Sherni,” has built a career at the intersection of conflict, conservation, and community trust. A 2013 IFS officer, she first served in Assam, where she worked in Kaziranga on rhino protection and zero-poaching strategies, before transferring to Maharashtra in 2017.
Her most publicized role came during the Avni tigress conflict in Yavatmal. Facing protests, political pressure, and fear across villages, K.M. Abharna took a measured approach. She deployed an all-women forest guard team, introduced grid-based camera traps, and established real-time communication with communities. Though Avni was ultimately shot under controversial orders by a lying, cold-blooded SOB, Abharna ensured her cubs were protected. Her work later inspired Vidya Balan’s role in the 2021 film Sherni., hence her nickname
Beyond tiger conflict, Abharna directed Maharashtra’s Bamboo Research and Training Centre, linking forestry with sustainable livelihoods. Today, as faculty at CASFOS, Dehradun, she trains future officers. K.M. Abharna’s career shows how conservation depends on both science and human connection.
Conservation practices like hers highlight that protecting tigers is inseparable from engaging people.
The K.M. Abharna article:
Based on Indian Masterminds, India
Photo via Indian Masterminds, credits: LadyIFSOfficers
