Live Raw. Lead Real.
Glimpses into the Journey of M. Asif Ebrahim — Founder of
NatureKnights
I was raised on stories and salt air.
Long before NatureKnights existed, my world was an open
book—and I read anything and everything I could find… except classroom
textbooks. Asterix, Tintin, Amar Chitra Katha, Enid
Blyton, Hardy Boys, Papillon, HG Wells, Westerns,
encyclopedias, adventure novels—if it sparked the imagination, I was all in.
But I didn’t just live in stories. I lived them.
My classroom extended beyond school walls—into mangrove
forests, coconut farms, sun-drenched forts, and moonlit backwaters. I built
rafts from scrap wood. Swam across open seas. Nurtured gardens. Adopted stray
animals. Fell off cliffs and rooftops. And somewhere along the way, I learned
that resilience often looks a lot like childlike wonder.
That spirit followed me to Bhavan’s College, where I
co-founded an eco-adventure club, and then into a two-decade career in the IT
industry—consulting, concept selling, building businesses. I scaled corporate
peaks during the week, and literal ones on the weekends.
Then in March 2008, life called a timeout.
A heart attack. Cardiac arrest. A week in the ICU. Most
people told me to give up the outdoors, slow down, and play it safe. I chose to
come back stronger—and live raw, not reduced.
That’s when NatureKnights was truly born.
Not just a travel company—but a mission. A canvas for
transformation. A space where wild terrain meets inner clarity. By blending
strategy with adventure, I crafted immersive journeys and experiential learning
programs that awaken grit, self-awareness, presence, and connection—in
individuals, in teams, in leaders.
Today, I help people step beyond comfort zones and into
something deeper. Because the edge is where evolution begins. And the wild is
where the real leader comes alive.
