Aishwarya Sridhar, a wildlife photographer, poses with her camera.
Doha: In October last year, ‘Lights of Passion’ earned 24-year-old Aishwarya Sridhar the ‘Highly Commended Award’ in Behaviour of Invertebrate Category at the 56th Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 organised by the Natural History Museum in London.
In an email interview with The Peninsula, Aishwarya said winning the prestigious award and being the first Indian woman to win was a humbling experience.
“It feels surreal. I have always dreamt of having my image on display at the Natural History Museum in London but never really thought it would become a reality. I was overwhelmed and humbled to know that my image had made it to the Top 100 awarded images this year,” the Panvel resident said.
Aishwarya was also the youngest (14) and the first girl to receive the Sanctuary Asia ‘Young Naturalist Award’ in 2011.
Her latest docuseries titled “Tiger Queen of Taru” would be aired on January 27 on National Geographic Wild on beIN (a global sport and entertainment network in Doha) as part of Nat Geo’s 10th annual Big Cat Week. The programme narrates the story of an orphaned tigress, Maya, who grows in the wild fighting against wild dogs and rival tigers to keep a stronghold on the prime territory of central India.
Aishwarya notes that her love for wildlife and nature began at an early age. She says her encounters with fireflies and wild boars on her streets in Panvel inspired her.
“I remember seeing fireflies on my balcony and wild boars on my street. That’s what kindled my interest in wildlife. On my 11th birthday, my dad gifted me a camera, and my photography journey started. Slowly that turned into creating small videos on wildlife. I have grown up watching National Geographic, so I had this dream of one-day making films which were like the ones telecast on the channel,” she says.
The self-critic says one of her favourite images is the fireflies’ image but insists in films, “the ‘Tiger Queen of Taru’ is my best and challenging work as well.”
She says that governments need to balance ecology and economy to sustain the planet.
“They need to strike a balance between ecology and economy. More often, GDP is given priority by the government, and natural capital is ignored. But for sustainability, importance should be given to wildlife and our environment.
“Understanding that an economy can’t function without ecology is essential. So I feel that governments should stop randomly allocating forest land for developmental projects and focus on sustainable alternatives. Even investing in greener solutions is the way forward,” she says. Gradually becoming a household name in India for her work, Aishwarya says more needs to be done to get young people, especially women, involved in wildlife photography and filmmaking.
“I feel that in many countries, there exists a mental block against women who choose outdoor-related careers. Especially in India, it’s not encouraged. So that needs to change.”
However, getting into outdoor film production, especially wildlife, is no easy task. Geographical location, funding, and platforms are several factors that could limit individual progress in this genre.
“Funding is a major challenge. Wildlife film making is expensive in terms of getting the right equipment, paying for permissions for shooting, etc,” Aishwarya stresses.
“Another challenge I have faced, when I wanted to try TV presentation, was that Indian producers wanted an Indian to speak with a foreign accent for a show primarily for Indian audiences. I was confused as to why an accent is so important in my own country. I hope the resolve for diversity helps people like me who want to be a voice for our planet.”
As the world still faces the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, many documentary makers have been particularly hit by a curtail in outdoor activities and inter-state and cross-border movement restrictions.
“COVID-19 threw out my plans for 2020. I had planned to film my next documentary series last year but couldn’t due to the lockdown. So I made the most of the situation and created two digital series from my house for WWF-India and Discovery Channel India,” she says.
On her future goals, Aishwarya hopes to become one of the leading wildlife storytellers from India. And perhaps get better at astrophotography, a hobby she says she finds exciting.
“I hope to create policy level impact with my films. And hopefully, I get to be a TV show host for a wildlife series.”
