Mahseer Conservancy » photographer

Rajesh Panwar

Mahseer Conservancy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:54:01 +0000

Rajesh is an agriculture graduate from India’s topmost agriculture university i.e. Pantnagar University. He has a vast experience of working with communities in various parts of Uttarakhand. He has been working in social sector since last 07 years. He is an expert of community mobilization and worked as master trainer of Bio-composting Techniques, Organic Farming, Pachayati Raj Institutions and Pre and Post Harvest Management of Horticultural Produce in Uttarakhand State. He coordinated various projects in different parts of Uttarakhand viz. Awareness Generation on Biology and Control of White Grubs, worked under Diversified Agriculture Support Project as Technical Supervisor.

He is passionate about nature photography and conservation of wildlife. He is extensively working in the field of community based tourism since last 03 years. He has been working in Jim Corbett’s own village- Chhoti Haldwani with a motive of creation of livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-tourism initiatives and through this weans them away from forest based livelihood. He is heading a Non Government Organization, Corbett Gram Vikas Samiti (CGVS) based in Jim Corbett’s Village- Chhoti Haldwani.

Some of the initiatives of his organization are Income Generation Activities by the local villagers and marketing of their produce through a souvenir shop, Home Stays, Awareness Generation on Wildlife Conservation and Management of Jim Corbett Heritage Trail etc. He has developed a network of local villagers against poaching and other illegal activities in local forest area.

He has compiled a number of publications like a set of booklets and posters on White Grub Management, a set of five booklets on Self Help Groups, a set of 32 booklets and posters on various income generation activities and a documentary on Life Cycle of White Grub.

Rajesh is also the coordinator in Chhoti Haldwani regarding the Lantana furniture project and understand the whole process perfectly since he has already worked with women communities through his association.

To know more about Rajesh and his work, kindly visit his website on: www.corbettvillage.in

Prosenjit Das Gupta

Mahseer Conservancy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:04:27 +0000

Veteran naturalist, fisherman and author is always more than eager to advice on issues related to conservation and nature travels. Prosenjit Das Gupta was born in August 1944 in Calcutta and educated at St. Xavier’s School and Presidency College. An avid nature traveller he has been to numerous sanctuaries and wilderness areas in India since 1968, when places like Kanha, Manas, Kaziranga, Corbett, Palamau, Nameri were hardly visited by any one. An avid birder since 1972, he is one of the first of the Calcutta bird-watchers to see and photograph White-winged wood-duck in Nameri in 1992.

Prosenjit has chased the legendary Mahseer since 1980 in Manas, then in Ramganga (fishing inside the national park was allowed in those days), Koppili in North Cachar and Jia Bharali in Nameri. He helped Assam Bhoreli Angling and Conservation Association in 2002 to plan out its mahseer breeding and conservation programme. He is a regular visitor at Vanghat and is in love with it since. He has extensively travelled in the Kumaon region. He is a life member of Bombay Natural History Society and World Wide Fund for Nature, and has delivered lectures on wildlife and conservation in schools and other bodies.

Prosenjit Das Gupta has authored several well known books, “10 Walks in Calcutta” about Calcutta’s architectural and historical heritage. “Walks in the Wild” on experiences and impressions about wildlife areas in India since 1968 (with a good bit on Corbett) and the popular “Tracking Jim” about the life of Jim Corbett and the places he had to visit (e.g. Rudraprayag, Champawat, Talla Desh) to shoot man-eaters in the Kumaons.

“After Elwin” about the work of the anthropologist , Dr. Verrier Elwin, in India and my experiences in the same tribal areas of central India since 1970′s, and a short monograph on forest trees (published privately).

Rishad Naoroji

Mahseer Conservancy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:07:07 +0000

Few in the Indian subcontinent have done more for birds of prey conservation than Rishad. During the “Corbett Vulture Campaign” much of his work was taken as referrence. Raptor man of India Rishad is the project co-ordinator on Doongerwadi Advisory Committee for the Parsi Vulture Project, which calls for interaction with the Ministry & State Governments. Rishad has carried out exhausted researcher and field observation on raptors and worked on their conservation. Has worked closely with the BNHS as Research Associate; currently an active Executive Committee member BNHS and Chairman of the Library Sub-committee. He is on the Managing Committee of the Himalayan Club. An avid photographer, photographs published nationally and internationally. Awarded a silver medal at the Raptor Photography Contest held during the third Conference of the World Working Group on Birds of Prey. Rishad spent three years in Africa studying and photographing predators and three winters at Bharatpur studying the breeding ecology of and photographing the Pallas’s Fishing Eagle. His three years stay in Rajpipla forest studying and photographing the breeding biology and ecology of raptors successfully resulted in 500 sq kms of the area being declared as the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. Rishad studies and surveys raptors throughout the country. His articles and papers have been published in numerous magazines including eighteen papers in JBNHS. He is the author of Birds of prey of the Indian Subcontinent, published by Christopher Helm, UK & Om Books Intl., India.

Rishad is currently the director of Godrej Group of Companies. To now more about what is happening in Ornithology in India please log on to www.indianbirds.in.

Vishal Sabharwal

Mahseer Conservancy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:13:43 +0000

Vishal is a wildlife photographer and enthusiast. To begin lets piece out a page from his memory. He was in 5th grade, out on a school camping trip with his hostel friends.

The village that surrounded them was probably the only from where the other villagers came to fetch water, along with the villagers the water hole was shared by wild animals too. The animals were seldom chased away if they found footings through the village inhabiting the water source. The 3 nights that they housed there each morning he would awaken to find himself wanting to walk across to the small lake and he did. Keeping his distance he observed the regular visitors; a heard of elephants. Generally this heard would cross through the village late at night or wee hours of dawn as there was better grounding there. There was one elephant who would step out of the water and enjoy her sand bath. He realized there were many similarities between how we as kids enjoyed back then and the elephants, only soon to find himself being scolded for creeping too close to them, as he got agitated he could also sense the same agitation among elephants on hearing people shout behind him.

The elephants didn’t hesitate about him sharing their space, the instinctive Gentle Giants like any other wild animal showed respect for his boundaries as he did for theirs. He carried that practical knowledge along with him to this day, as he has always found it lead him to good photographs. On travels he finds himself encouraging village kids to respect and understand wild animals who share the same space, because after all we are the ones stretching our boundaries & encroaching into their space.

Do log on to his lovely www.coloursofnature.in.