Thanks to all the efforts of our wonderful team, Jalebi Ink was spotlighted at the Sanctuary RBS Awards, held recently in Mumbai. The awards highlight contributions by everyday heroes towards saving and preserving the environment. The awards team was especially impressed by JunkNama, our green newspaper brought out entirely by young people.
We were thrilled to be sharing the limelight with some of our favourite people, who you have read about here. Like noise pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali, whom we wrote about in our Car-Free Day Report. There were also people like Naina Kathpalia and Neera Punj of Citispace, who are fighting to preserve open spaces and playgrounds in Mumbai, which is an issue that is very important to all of us.
The event was very varied and colourful, with an amazing performance by Warli artistes telling the story about the link between tigers and humans.
We were really happy to see people from all over India being honoured at these awards for their inspiring work. We met the women forest guard from Kaziranga National Park, tiger trackers from the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Tana Tapi and Takum Nabum who guard the Pakke Tiger Reserve from poachers and Mahesh Kumar Jiwrajka, a former forest officer who has been working to save India’s forests forests from timber merchants and corrupt bureaucrats trying to clear ‘development’ projects.
Women guards of Kaziranga National Park
- Tribal forest guards Arthi Venkatesham, Bhumani Venkatesham and Dansam Mallaiah
The three recipients of the Young Naturalist Award were Zeeshan Mirza and Sooraj Bishnoi, both from Mumbai, and Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi from Assam. 22 year old Zeeshan is a reptile enthusiast, spider and scorpion expert and researcher. When people need a snake rescued in Mumbai, they call Zeeshan. Sooraj is an avid birdwatcher and a student member of the Bombay Natural History Society. Monsoon’s passion is butterflies. He has spent the past five years recording and photographing over 500 butterfly species in upper Assam, including rare and endangered species.
Young Naturalists Monsoon, Sooraj and Zeeshan
We thank Sanctuary Asia for a wonderful evening and for putting in the efforts of the Jalebi Ink team with such great and inspiring company.