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The nature photo exhibition was dedicated to conservationist Krishna Narain who passed away last year
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Standing sentinel Forest Disappeared by Murali Kumar K. won in the Wildlife Conservation category
KN never received an award, nor can his work be described as path breaking,” wrote Praveen Bhargav, Trustee, Wildlife First, in Sanctuary Asia magazine reminiscing about Krishna Narain, a well-known conservationist who died in tragic circumstances on February 10, 2007. “He was just a simple individual who doggedly soldiered on for wildlife. He lived for wildlife and constantly dreamt about securing a future for endangered species.”
The K N Memorial Nature Photo Exhibition 2008 organised by a closely-knit community of wild-life enthusiasts, photographers and other professionals who were close to Narain, concluded on February 10 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. The exhibition which had three sections: Natural History, Wildlife Conservation and Forest Landscapes, was outcome of an all-India photo-contest which received more than 750 entries from two hundred plus photographers.
On display was a wide range of animals and birds in their natural habitat. The spotlight was shared by two splendid photographs: S Mallikarjuna’s Black Buck (Albino) with Female (The Best of Show prize winner) showing the fastest of the Indian antelopes, and Debdoot Basu’s “Well Protected” presenting a chimp cuddling to its hairy parent (Additional Special Jury award.)
Among other eye-catching works were Amitava Das’ “Bull Frog” Vijaykumar Prabhu’s mating tigers, Dhritiman Mukherjee’s Chinkaras in desert, M. N. Jayakumar’s picture of a sharp beaked and wide winged hawk, A. N. Siva’s flamingoes and Dinesh Kumble’s “Whispering Couple”.
Murali Kumar K. of The Hindu had two arresting award-winning photographs at the show. In “Forest Disappeared” (Wildlife Conservation category), a lone elephant walking in a vast green field where the left over barks of recently chopped trees were evidence of deforestation. In contrast, his Best Flora Award winner, “Orchids of West Sikkim”, was a joyous picture of blossoming flowers.
T. N. A. Perumal’s superbly lit and composed picture of Nigiri Tahrs against the setting of undulating hills, and Dhritiman Mukherjee’s aerial shot of Singalila National Park were among other pictures which made an impact. There were several poignant pictures in the show which caught the viewer’s attention including Dhritiman Mukherjee’s image of a dead marine turtle and Sandhesh Kadur’s picture of a deer dead on the road.
While appreciating the enthusiasm of the photographers as well as the organisers’ concern for nature, one wished more attention had been given to framing and display aspects as well.
GIRIDHAR KHASNIS
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