Ellis – Urmi Bhattacharya

Ellis is inspired by Urmi and her passion for elephants. The name Ellis is from the series of books called ‘Ellis the Elephant’ by Callista Gingrich.

Her empathy has always been a super power of hers and her passion for wildlife is truly amazing. Once she sets her mind on something, she gets it done such as helping a distressed elephant in Assam (a story for another day)

The bathing bar is designed to question the user,’ Is it the dawn for elephants or the dusk?’, the start of something beautiful for these amazing creatures or is it curtains. These gentle giants need our help.

Q. Name and designation?

Urmi: Country Director at Fortify Health

2. A brief on your work?

Urmin: Fortify Health is a health charity, founded on principles of effective altruism (how to do the largest good with finite resources). We work in reducing incidence of anemia and neural tube defects through wheat flour fortification. I work with an amazing team of young professionals to figure out the best way to do that. In my spare time, I try to support various animal causes, especially conservation of wild elephants and rehabilitation of domestic elephants. I hope to work in it one day and acquire the necessary skills to do it.

3. What inspires you ?

Urmi: Combination of intelligence and empathy (you can see why I am drawn to elephants)

4. Why have you chosen what you do? what drives you?

Urmi: About my profession, I think it started with taking up economics in college. I had never studied economics in school and when my sister joined Presidency College, Kolkata, she made it sound like the most wonderful place on earth and suggested I apply for economics. I just wanted to be in a college where people appreciated the Beatles.

5. favourite books?

Urmi: Sukumar Ray’s Abol Tabol and Tolstoy’s War and Peace

6. People who have inspired you?

My sister. All I did was follow her path (not even consciously).

7. Your message to India and others who want to follow in your footsteps?

Urmi: Don’t!