Drive anywhere in Mumbai these days, you will see large billboards with DSP Blackrock featuring incredible images of tigers and the company’s support for the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards.

Sanctuary Photography Special Mention – Aditya Singh’s In Safe Jaws

It is easy to be cynical in this world yet I must say Sanctuary Asia magazine and its annual award ceremony was an incredibly inspiring, moving and deeply humbling affair.

We were fortunate to meet Bittu Sahgal at a friend’s wedding – a remarkable human being whose genuine passion for preserving nature’s creatures and habitat is infectious!

Beautifully hosted by the enchanting Dia Mirza, the entire ceremony saluted the stories of so many people making a difference.

A few highlights:

• Members of the Nyishi tribal community such as Pahi Tachang who today preserve rather than kill the hornbill, substituting fibreglass casques to use in their traditional headgear and guard the flamboyant bird’s nests
• Chewang Motup Goba – explorer, mountaineer, climate change activist who organises ‘Leave No Trace’ camping and last year spearheaded carrying down four tonnes of garbage from Mount Everest
• The women of Maharashtra’s Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) and forest guard S D Shendre who survived being shot by poachers

As I put up the 2015 calendar featuring the Photography winners, I am reminded again of the amazing efforts of so many working towards preserving our environment and the creatures other than us humans who inhabit it.

Women of the Special Tiger Protection Force

Standing ovation for the award winners…

2014 Sanctuary Wildlife Award Winners

A final thought from Conservation International’s “Nature Is Speaking” with Julia Roberts.