The chief guest for the Venu Menon National Animal Awards 2005 held at the India Habitat Centre on February 19, 2005 was former Prime Minister, Mr Inder Kumar Gujral. Mr Azzedine Downes, Executive Vice-President of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), delivered the Venu Menon Memorial Lecture.
The jury comprised Urvashi Butalia, writer and publisher of Zubaan; Medha Patkar, conservationist and social activist; Revathy, film actor; Suparna Ganguly, President of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre; and Javagal Srinath, former test cricketer.
» Click here for more on Azzedine Downes
» Click here for more on the jury members
The following are this year's awardees:
Venu Menon Lifetime Achievement Award
Surabathula Sree Ramakrishna Guruprasad
If you were to pick a single strand that runs through Surabathula Sree Ramakrishna Guruprasad's 53 years on this planet, it would be the single-minded pursuit of the welfare of animals. From fighting against animal sacrifices in temples, prosecuting offenders for cruelty against animals, rescuing wildlife in distress to organising Dog, Cattle and Pet shows and running awareness campaigns, Mr Guruprasad defies any kind of label. He has been a senior official of the SPCA, an Animal Welfare Education officer, acted as an effective fund raiser, wrote acted and directed award winning plays on animal welfare and edited and published the magazine "Animal Welfare" for the past 10 years. Mr Guruprasad's devotion to his cause has been an enduring inspiration for the youth.
Venu Menon Animal Allies Award
Rahul Sehgal
Twenty nine year old Rahul Sehgal gave up a lucrative career in the hotel management industry to devote his time to the care of animals. Within a short span of three and half years, he has helped set up an organisation that has 28 employees, three veterinary doctors and ambulances, has treated over 18,000 animals and birds, and completed over 10,000 sterilisations. He has played an important role in stopping the sale of exotic pets by the Ahmedabad zoo and the passage of a car rally through the prime habitat of the endangered wild ass. In a state that is known more for its extremes, Rahul Sehgal, comes as a breath of fresh air.
IFAW Young Achiever's Award Award
Prannoy Pratim Goswami
Winner of the IFAW-WTI-HT Next All India Essay Competition, Prannoy Pratim Goswami's essay on the subject, Keep Wildlife Wild, stood out for its originality, maturity of thought and the way he wove in his own experience to enhance his argument. Studying in Class 7 at Delhi Public School, Numaligarh in Assam, he won in a field open even to Class 09 students. Though Prannoy enjoys Biology, he plans to study humanities and is interested in debating, dramatics, reading and wants to join the diplomatic services.
Namita Bhatia - 2nd Prize, IFAW-WTI-HT Next All India Essay Competetion
Runner-up of the All India Essay Competition, Namita Bhatia's essay on the subject, Keep Wildlife Wild, stood out for its balance between the use of good language and well-researched content. A student of Class 9 of Modern Vidya Niketan School, Faridabad, Namita enjoys mathematics, reading, and music. She wants to train as a biotech engineer.
David Shepherd Wildlife Award
Dr. Divakar Sharma
Ayurvedic practitioner, astrologer, linguist, wildlife lover, honorary wildlife warden, winner of international awards, it is difficult to pin down Dr Sharma in any one persona.
With a deep and abiding interest in conservation, Dr Sharma has devoted more than 25 years to working closely with enforcement authorities, using his knowledge of traditional healing systems to track the powerful mafia involved in the illegal trade of wild flora and fauna. His tireless efforts have helped reduce the pressure on many rare and endangered species.
Special Organisation
Award
People for Animals, Sirohi
The People for Animals' shelter for animals and birds in Sirohi was started in 1998 on 10 bighas of land and has grown over the years to a 125-strong body of people dedicated to the care of animals. Its wide range of activities include organising veterinary camps for cattle, liaising with the police to prevent cruelty towards animals and urging them to take stringent action etc. It has published literature about applying local medical knowledge to treat ailments in animals. Its doctors have saved many cattle by removing polythene and rubber from their stomachs.
WTI Endangered Species Award
Special Staff of the Central District of the Delhi Police
Robbery, rape, murder, and VIPs dominate a Delhi policeman's life. It was, therefore, a surprise to see the keen interest taken by a team of dedicated officers of the Special Staff of Central District led by Inspector Rakesh Giri, who busted a gang of well-known and notorious smugglers of wildlife products and recovered derivatives of various wild animals worth more than Rs 5 crore. The team consisting of SI Antrix Alok, SI Pankaj Kumar, HC Ram Avatar, HC Resham Pal, HC Satish, HC Sashi Kant, Ct. Sunder Gautam, Ct. Jasvinder, Ct. Bhupender, Ct. Yashpal Bhati, Ct. Sanjeev, Ct. Sat Narain, Ct. Rakesh, and Ct. Naresh have dealt a body blow to the brazen confidence of wildlife criminals.
WTI Van Rakshak Award
Mohammed Safiur Rahaman
Mohd Safiur Rahaman, one of the most successful guards of the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, has been at the post of gardener for decades, because he could not study beyond Standard IV. Even so, Mohd. Rahaman chose to serve in the remotest areas of the sanctuary and soon acquired the reputation of being the poachers' nemesis.When he joined service, the rhino population had reached the lowest ever number of 14 in 1985. During the last five years, he has been responsible for 20% of the total cases detected. Adept at field craft, he used his knowledge of the forest and its terrain to outwit poachers, despite facing death threats. It is not merely a coincidence that the population of rhinos in Jaldapara has steadily increased over the years that Rahaman has been in service.
IFAW Animal Welfare Politician of the Year
Jagadanand Singh
One of the seniormost legislators of Bihar, Jagadanand Singh, is the Minister of Environment and Forests. In a state where the forests have always been under pressure from a well-entrenched timber mafia, acute poverty and a brand of politics uniquely its own, Mr Singh has been a singular source of resistance. Earning the sobriquet of a "Friend of the Forest" Mr Singh has taken a keen interest in conservation of aquatic as well as the terrestrial wildlife of the state. It was due to his quick decision making that the beleaguered Gangetic dolphin, got a new lease of life. His fight against the powerful illegal stone quarrying lobby is well known. His name spells hope for Bihar's forests.
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