our team
Sunita Dhairyam (Jayapathy) is a renowned wildlife artist and conservationist, activist, and entrepreneur, residing in Bandipur, at the edge of its Tiger Reserve. She founded Mariamma Charitable Trust in 2007 to mitigate human-wildlife conflict through compensation for livestock losses and free clinics. Soon after, she launched Temple Tree Designs with sales of personally designed clothing and home décor to supplement MCT’s funds supporting the cause of reducing human-wildlife conflict.
“I was born and brought up in the village. Sunita inspired in me a real passion for wildlife. She taught me to recognise nature’s many signals. She opened up my world and helped me to get work in a local resort. I joined the Trust when it started and now I work closely with her helping to manage the many and varied challenges of this fabulous community. I took over margers (kill verifications) and have built the trust and respect of the local villagers who now know me as their contact person.”
“All credit to Sunita and her dedicated team who run the Mariamma Charitable Trust against all odds. We greatly admire the spirit and the zeal she displays to help the needy be it wildlife, the poor or the suffering. It is individuals like Sunita that bring about radical transformation in the world.”
Roop Singh brings to the Trust extensive experience in the fields of business administration, development, finance and management. He is a lifelong advocate for the welfare of animals and people alike. He oversees the animal birth control (ABC) program, guiding and counseling village folk who regard and trust him as their friend and champion. He is a trained counselor and fluent in six languages. Roop is currently vice-president of the Special Olympics Bharat Karnataka.
Sitara McMillin (BS Environmental Science, University of Washington) is the Sustainability Coordinator and analyzes cattle kill data to visually interpret trends in compensation expenditures, predator-specific kill rates, and village-level impacts, supporting coexistence between wildlife and local communities in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. She is deeply passionate about protecting communities by protecting wildlife, combining data-driven insights with a commitment to conservation.
