From the political jungle and into the wild. This is what AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh appears to have been doing for the past few decades, which people discovered on Friday when around 20 of his photographs were exhibited, along with those of Venkat, a doctor from Hyderabad, here at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the exhibition.
With the tiger as the theme, the exhibition, which is open till August 20, has around 200 photographs of exotic creatures of the wild. These are a culmination of nearly 14 years of work in various parts of the country, Dr. Venkat, who met Mr. Singh at the Kanha National Park, said.
Revealing his love for wildlife and photography, Mr. Singh said he started merging the two interests in 1985. Bird photography is the most interesting, he said, as one has to click at the right moment.
Though Kanha remains his favourite destination, Mr. Singh said he got some of his best shots in the backwaters of Kabini and in Ranganathittu. Dr. Venkat added that the opportunity to get shots of tigers mating came only twice in five years.
Stressing on the need to protect the habitat of animals, Mr. Singh said, “We only talk of protecting tigers; but this cannot be done without protecting their habitat. Man-animal conflict is something we need to control, and even buffer zones should be maintained, apart from the core areas.”
“Wildlife tourism should be an attraction, but due to Supreme Court orders wildlife tourism has taken a big knock. I’ve been trying to persuade the Government of India to not see wildlife as conservation alone. It has to enthuse people,” he said.
