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Srividya Bday Fundraiser to educate and train forest guides on birding

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"What bird populations do usefully indicate is the health of our ethical values. One reason that wild birds matter—ought to matter—is that they are our last, best connection to a natural world that is otherwise receding. They’re the most vivid and widespread representatives of the Earth as it was before people arrived on it. They share descent with the largest animals ever to walk on land: The house finch outside your window is a tiny and beautifully adapted living dinosaur. A duck on your local pond looks and sounds very much like a duck 20 million years ago, in the Miocene epoch, when birds ruled the planet."
-Jonathan Franzen, from his cover story in the current issue of National Geographic mag, "Why Birds Matter."

Ever come back from a wildlife safari after spending the full 3 hours only looking for that inconspicuous tiger and not seen anything else in the process?

India has over 1300 species of birds, along with over 350 species of birds migrating to India every year. But we have no knowledge of how to spot them or where to find them! This is where forest guides come into the picture. A successful safari is not when you sight a tiger. A successful safari, I believe, is one where even if you don't sight a tiger, you have managed to sight other animals in the forest and spotted all those beautiful and exotic birds we so often overlook!

Last year for my birthday, thanks to all of you, I managed to raise nearly ₹12000 to save the tiger. Forest officials in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve now have caps and canvas water bottles for the hot summer.

This year for my birthday, I would like to raise funds to help procure good-quality binoculars and books on Indian birds in order to help educate forest guides on bird-watching. A friend of our family, who is also a birder and his team will train guides in one of our forests in India to spot birds and identify their species. This will not only ensure that forest guides are able to sight birds during a safari, but will also help in improving eco-tourism in India as tourists will be able to enjoy their safaris regardless of a tiger's appearance.

A decent pair of binoculars can cost approximately ₹4000 whilst the book on Indian birds by Salim Ali costs approximately ₹450. I hope to be able to contribute at least 5 binoculars and 10 books so that the guides can use the binoculars during the safaris.

Only you can make this happen by contributing to my birthday fundraiser. Even a small contribution can go a long way so please help me celebrate my birthday in this small way.

Binoculars to be bought for training

Salim Ali's Book on Indian birds

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6th February 2018

Dear Supporters,

My fundraiser has been successfully completed. We will now start procuring the books and binoculars ready for the training sessions starting in March!

Thank you all very very much for your love and support!!

20th January 2018

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for the support. The latest update is that the training session will happen from March 3rd onwards at Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, near Nagpur. Because it is a weekend, I will be going with them to start the training!

Please do share my fundraiser with your friends and family! If you know anyone who has a spare pair of binoculars that is in good condition, they can donate that as well. You may reach out to me via the "Contact Organizer" button present at the bottom of the campaign page and we can figure out the logistics.

Thank you once again.