Display of photographs of wild animals. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
a legacy chhatram (Rest House) lights up a quiet evening near the historic Perur Patteswara Temple with a display of engaging images and conversations, all themed on wildlife and nature. “The baboon, the squirrel and the caterpillar live in the magic house, the forest. How can you take it away from them?” asked environmental activist Bittu Sehgal in his speech while inaugurating Vaiyam, a curated showcase of images clicked around the world by photographers of the field.
Bittu Sehgal | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Bittu Sehgal is one of India’s foremost conservation and environment journalists, who started the publication Sanctuary Asia in 1981, after becoming involved in India’s tiger conservation efforts in the 1970s. As he continues his talk in the context of the jungle mother of the river (Mother of the River) and the orange-black-striped big cat revered by the ancients as the ‘striped water god,'” he says. “We tell such stories to children during Kids for Tigers, an environmental education program for schools. that reaches millions of students. .. I want to apologize to the younger generation for handing over a wounded planet.”
The environmental activist says that his generation has tampered with “nature’s basic infrastructure”, mountains, hills and water bodies. “Oceans have been destroyed, mountains have been eroded, grasslands have disappeared and glaciers are melting rapidly. It is up to artists, storytellers, performing artists to use art to tell people what Time to do what can be done to repair the planet.
He also talked about the ecological impact of dams built on rivers. “The cost benefit ratio of existing dams has not been met, but more dams are being built. Fight climate change, create jobs, improve GDP and repair non-working dams.
Artists have to change human ambitions to obey the biosphere and learn to live with nature. “I have read Wordsmith’s poems and also Rigveda, All our inspirations, arts, dance forms and crafts originate from nature. Go to a forest and look at a plant, and all your troubles will go away.”
Photos displayed in Vaiyam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Expressing hope, he says that the biosphere is a self-repairing machine and the entire planet is designed to bounce back. He adds, “If we don’t spoil it further, the sea, the corals and the forest will restore themselves.”
The exhibition is organized by Coimbatore Creative Collective (CCC) in association with Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science. Vaiyam displays over 100 photographs ranging from aerial views of mammals and birds to landscapes and animal behavior in the wild. “With events like this, CCC aims to bring Coimbatore to the zenith of the arts,” says Akash Selvan of the collective.