Raza Kazmi

Jharkhand & Uttarakhand

Raza Kazmi is an independent conservationist, author, and forest historian working across Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. His work empowers forest guards and Indigenous communities to become conservation leaders, oral historians, and storytellers of India’s forested landscapes.

For over a decade, Raza has worked in forest regions affected by armed conflict, ecological pressures, and marginalization. He has integrated systems-thinking and narrative-based training into government curricula, helping build ecological knowledge and leadership capacity among more than 850 forest guards, 150 forest rangers, and hundreds of Adivasi community leaders.

Believing that India’s forest histories are incomplete without the voices of its forest communities, Raza trains both forest personnel and Indigenous knowledge-holders in storytelling, narrative-building, and media engagement. His work ensures that those who live and work closest to the forest can share their lived experiences and ancestral wisdom on their own terms. He is currently developing a first-of-its-kind anthology of writings by forest guards in India.

Follow @raza.kazmi174.

“What struck me the most about the ORA India vetting process was that for the first time I sat down, wrote and analysed all the work, especially beyond my public writing, that I had undertaken over the years, as well as the kind of things I wanted to do going forward. This was a great journey of self-reflection and learning. As an ORA Fellow, I look forward to learning from my peers while also widening the horizon of my work.”