Rom's idea to set up the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station had its origin four decades ago when he visited the rainforests around Agumbe for the first time in 1971 and saw his first king cobra in the wild. The dream was to set up a research base here to study this enigmatic serpent and other denizens of the rainforest about which very little was known. In 2005, he realized his dream when he located and bought a beautiful four acre plot surrounded by forest with the money his mother, Doris Norden had willed him.

The land came with an old farmhouse over-looking paddy fields, with an arecanut plantation in its backyard. The house had to be refurbished to become the first office and residence of the research base. Rom's colleague, Gowri Shankar, was the first ARRS Conservation Officer and he lived alone for months, functioning as education officer, field biologist, and liaison officer and assisting Rom in setting up the base.

Later in 2005 Rom was given the Whitley Fund for Nature award in the UK which he invested to set up the basic infrastructure which has grown into ARRS, a full-fledged forest research base.

From its inception ARRS worked continuouslyu to reach out to target audiences including school and college students, forest officials, women's self help groups and villagers to create awareness about conservation. Liaison with the Forest Department, collaborating with other research stations and partnering with national and international universities and NGOs has set the stage for ARRS growth, development and reach.