Prashant Kumar Sen

Prashant Kumar Sen IFS (born 1941), also known as PK Sen, is a wildlife conservationist. PK Sen joined the Indian forest service in the year 1968 and became the director of Project Tiger. He was known globally for his love for the tiger. His fearless effort to protect the national animal despite political and social problems is what makes him legendary.
Prashant Kumar Sen was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India in 2011 for his dedication in the field of conservation.
He was best known for his tough-talking and efficient ways, which made him rise to the director of the project tiger and in his tenure, he forced the government to accept the tiger crisis that it had been denied for years. His frankness was best illustrated when during the tiger 2000 symposium in new Delhi, he announced before the world that India was losing one tiger a day by poachers and that too over 1,50,000 sq. km of tiger habitat. His love for the tiger was so strong that when the 42nd American president Mr Bill Clinton came to visit the famous Ranthambore national park (Rajasthan), PK Sen was invited to accompany the president and help him explore the habitat of the tiger.
== Early life ==
Born to Mr Pramod Ranjan Sen a lawyer by profession and Mrs Hoymovati Sen who was a homemaker and social worker in a typical Bengali household. He was the second of four children is elder brother was four years senior and had a younger sister and a brother several years younger than him. Since childhood, he had developed an interest in sports. He was brought up in a middle-class family learning the basic yet important lesson of life from his father. All four siblings grew up hearing various mythological and Bengali folk stories from their grandmother. His great grandfather RM Sen who was minister of Maharaja of Ratu estate, had started the Bengali association club in gumla when he came and settled there for the welfare of the tribal community. Mr PK Sen's ancestors were from the city of Bikrampur( Current Day Bangladesh ). He spent his childhood days playing cricket and football. He grew up in the lap of mother nature as Mr Sen learnt about nature in person and observed every detail of the environment around him. Shri Sen grew up in the natural environment of the small district of Gumla then Bihar now Jharkhand. He had to take up the responsibility of his family while finishing his graduation due to the sudden sickness of his father. After which he got married but within 25 years of his marriage he lost his beloved wife. From their marriage, the couple had two children who he had to now look after as they were starting their own journeys in their respective lives and supported them. He missed his wife every day for 25 years.
== Career ==
Shri sen received his bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Bihar in 1962 and joined post-graduate training in forestry in 1965 from F.R.I [forest research institution] Dehradun. He joined Bihar superior forest service and was later introduced to the Indian forest service in 1968. He served the Bihar forest department in different capacities as in charge of sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves and zoos before shifting to the government of India on deputation as director of the project tiger. Shri Sen has the unique distinction of serving wildlife sectors of the forest department from day one of his service career till he superannuated in August 2001. As field director of Palamu tiger reserve, he was commended by the state and government of India. He was a part of various conservation societies like National Tiger conservation authority (NTCA).
In his final years along with tiger conservation, he also surrendered himself to the welfare and education of underprivileged children and women. He kept protecting indian wildlife till his last day, especially the tiger.
Category:1941 births
Category:Wildlife conservation
Category:Indian Foreign Service officers
Category:People from West Bengal