27 July : As a fitting conclusion to the Environment Week being celebrated at Vive High School, the iconic and enigmatic environmentalist, Mr Bittu Sahgal addressed the students
Mr Sahgal’s affinity for Nature and the components of our natural world have kept him in the forefront both as an activist who has spearheaded the campaign for nature conservation and as a Founder editor and publisher who is living his dream through, Sanctuary and Cub, India’s premier wildlife and ecology magazines. He also publishes, The Ecologist Asia.
Mr Sahgal has been propagating environmental awareness at the grass root level, through children, and has been hugely successful with the ‘Kids for Tigers’ Program that has encompassed almost one million children across the country and is mobilizing them to be actively involved in the process of saving tigers.
He has also produced over 30 conservation-related documentaries that have been aired on National Television. Mr Sahgal is involved in national campaigns to save the tiger, protect coastal areas, traditional fishing communities, and the prevention of toxic materials from affecting the environment.
Mr Sahgal has held several honorary positions on government and non-government committees including the Indian Board for Wildlife, Project Tiger, Environment Expert Committee, Animal Welfare Board, and the Maharashtra Advisory Board. In 2004, Mr. Sahgal received the Society for Conservation Biology, Distinguished Service Award
Mr Sahgal’s affable spirit, eloquence and outspokenness against the forces that pose a threat to the environment, regaled the young students who were his rapt audience.
The Principal Mrs. Daman Dugal proposed the vote of thanks and reminded the students that they need to be a part of Mr. Sahgal’s all inclusive plans for reversing the trends that are threatening our very existence.
Mr. Sahgal urged the student community to involve themselves whole heartedly in projects that help conserve our heritage and natural assets. He was of the belief that the united might of the youth would lead to a safer and more secure future for all.