This Chennai-based management professional has a native fish species named after him

It is not uncommon when you visit someone’s home and spot a fish tank, your mind might conjure different associations where some see fish tanks as symbols of prosperity, like the goldfish and Koi fish. And for some, they are ornamental pets.

For individuals like Beta Mahatvaraj, it is a unique treasure much like any other form of biodiversity, especially the native fish species of India, which he believes deserve urgent protection. In fact, one would not find imported species in his fish room at his Anna Nagar residence.

Surprisingly, Mahatvaraj’s full-time profession is not in the fields of marine life conservation. A seasoned management professional, he once worked with a leading multinational corporation and is now a Chief Operating Officer (COO) at an agro-tech start up.

The species he raises

Walking into his fish room, you will be greeted by more than a dozen meticulously-maintained tanks for species seldom spotted in aquariums. Among them are Tambraparni Barb from the Western Ghats, Golden Cobra Snakehead from Northeastern India, Denison Barb from Kerala and Karnataka, Canara Pearlspot, also from the Ghats.

Beta Mahatvaraj at his residence in Chennai
| Photo Credit:
B. Velankanni Raj

Now 45, Mr. Mahatvaraj has crisscrossed the Western Ghats in Kerala and Karnataka, and even the remote stretches of Meghalaya, photographing, documenting and sometimes rediscovering native fish species and their habitats. “My fascination began when I was just five, growing up in Ernakulam,” he recalls. But it was a visit to Tada falls in the early ‘90s that proved to be a watershed moment, as he had the chance to spot varieties of native fish species he had never seen before.

But largely, the loss of India’s native fish species is because of invasive species outsmarting the native ones, as well as destructive fishing methods, dumping of waste, pesticide run offs among other reasons, says Mr. Mahatvaraj, who has been continuing this hobby for years, going on expeditions.

Whenever long weekends arrive, he, accompanied by fellow enthusiasts, backpacks to the Ghats. “Only because of my family support, I am able to do this. Even when my kids want to, I don’t usually take them as some of these areas are a herculean task to navigate through. In interior Kerala, we often skip meals just to make the most of daylight to snorkel and see them in their habitat,” says the hobbyist, who is better known as ‘Meenkaran’ on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mahatvaraj who writes a book about the native fish species, is clear about keeping his passion distinct from his profession. “If I turn my hobby into a job, it might start feeling like a chore as I will be compelled to earn from that,” he says. “At my job, I’m fulfilled knowing that we are helping farmers and that is why my native fish species exploration is not a livelihood but a legacy,” he says.

Fish species gets his name

His contributions have not gone unnoticed. His lifelong study into native fish species led to one being named after him, an accolade for someone who did not dare give up on his fascination. Recalling the honour, he says, “When I contributed to the description of a new genus of fish from the Karnataka part of Western Ghats to a team of scientists from India and Sweden, it was named Betadevario ramachandrani in the year 2010.”

While Beta is part of his name, Ramachandran is another person who contributed to this study for the Swedish scientists. This particular fish found in Karnataka doesn’t have common name to it.