Mrs. Sardesai is a trained teacher and an aspiring author. She has been residing in the UAE for the past thirty-three years but was born and brought up in Baroda, Gujarat which is the backdrop for her debut book. She has played a big part in helping to create content for the website of one of the long-time vets here in the UAE (Pets Oasis Arcadia, UAQ). A love for reading helped her set up a school library in one place of work and also be a part of the editorial team for the school periodical at another. She has volunteered at a local animal shelter for a couple of years. She is fifty-eight years of age and staunchly believes that she has a younger outlook than her kids! The adjectives she uses to describe herself are a nature fanatic and an animal lover who has a penchant for organizing and a predilection for punctuality!Having grown up around animals of various types, the passion for all creatures great and small was deeply instilled in her and Zoology (naturally!) was one of the subjects she chose in college. She did an observational stint at the local Baroda Zoo for three months to add to her understanding about the animal world. Later, she trained as a teacher and even at work in primary schools, it was always her goal to inculcate love for all living creatures in her students by way of hands-on experience offered by setting up and maintaining an aquarium, field visits to observe creatures in nature and also by taking care of a rescued bird. She has taught science and environmental studies, topics close to her heart. She has been called a ‘cat lady’ by neighbors as her family rescues the abandoned and injured cats they find. Their goal is to rehabilitate and rehome these rescued animals. Over a period of the past fifteen odd years, they have rescued more than forty cats, a few dogs and even some birds, some of which have been relocated to other countries.Mrs. Sardesai also travels to nature reserves in various parts of the world with her husband who is an avid nature photographer. Their aim is to observe local fauna and flora and learn more about conservation efforts. Mrs. Sardesai firmly believes that ‘forest bathing’ is the best way to refresh mind and body.Read more about this authorRead less about this author