Aishwarya Sridhar

Aishwarya Sridhar
Born
Mumbai, India
NationalityIndian
EducationBachelor of Mass Media
Alma mater
  • Dr Pillai Global Academy
  • Pillai College of Arts, Commerce and Science
Occupation(s)Wildlife photographer and filmmaker
Notable workPanje-The Last Wetland
The Queen of Taru
Parents
  • Sridhar Ranganathan (father)
  • Rani Sridhar (mother)
Websiteaishwaryasridhar.com

Aishwarya Sridhar (Hindi: ऐश्वर्या श्रीधर born 12 January) is an Indian wildlife photographer, wildlife presenter, and documentary filmmaker residing in Navi Mumbai. She is the youngest girl to have won the Sanctuary Asia- Young Naturalist Award[1] and the International Camera Fair. Award.[2] In 2020, Aishwarya became the first Indian woman to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.[3][4] She is also a member of the State Wetland Identification Committee appointed by the Bombay High Court.[5] Her works have been featured in BBC Wildlife, The Guardian, Sanctuary Asia, Saevus, Hindustan Times, Mumbai Mirror, Digital Camera, Mathrubhumi and Mongabay.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

She has received numerous awards for her contribution towards nature including the 'Diana Award'[12] and 'Woman Icon India Award' from the Governor of Tamil Nadu.[13] Aishwarya is also actively involved in environmental conservation.[14]

Education and career[edit]

Aishwarya was born on 12 January, and grew up in Mumbai, India. She is the daughter of Sridhar Ranganathan and Rani Sridhar to a Tamil family.[15] She was a student of The Dr. Pillai Global Academy and was the world topper in Business Studies in Cambridge International Examinations in 2013.[14] She is a mass media graduate from Mumbai University.

Her father is a member of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Aishwarya used to accompany him on treks to various forests. Her love for photography started when she was 13. From an early age, Aishwarya started trekking in the jungles of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.[1] Her debut documentary 'Panje-The Last Wetland' was telecast on DD National in 2018.[16] It was about conserving the last remaining wetland of Uran named Panje.[17] The film helped bring a Bombay High Court order to stop the reclamation of the wetland.[18]

She has also made a feature film on a wild Bengal Tigress named Maya titled 'The Queen of Taru'[13] which received the Best Amateur Film Award at the 9th Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WCFF), New York City.[19][15] Apart from filmmaking and photography, Aishwarya is also a poet and a writer.[16][20]

Awards and recognition[edit]

Films[edit]

Year Title Type Network Film Festival Awards Status Ref(s)
2018 Panje-The Last Wetland Documentary Doordarshan (DD National) National Science Film Festival Best Film in Fusion Category Nominated [16]
2019 Queen of Taru Feature 9th Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York Best Film Award in Amateur/Emerging Category Won [15][29]
Singapore South Asian International Film Festival [30]
2020 Fun-Crafts with Aishwarya Series (8-episodes) WWF-India [31]
2020 Nature For Future Series Discovery Channel [26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Think for TOMORROW". The Hindu. 4 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b U, Chandni (14 September 2016). "Aishwarya Sridhar – youngest to win Best Nature and Wildlife Award". The New Indian Express.
  3. ^ "Meet Aishwarya Sridhar, first Indian woman to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year award". DNA India. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Aishwarya Sridhar becomes first Indian woman to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year award". Zee News. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  5. ^ Chatterjee, Badri (26 September 2019). "Six researchers prevented from entering Panje wetland in Navi Mumbai". Hindustan Times.
  6. ^ ശ്രീധര്‍, എഴുത്ത്: രശ്മി രഘുനാഥ്/ ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍: ഐശ്വര്യ. "കാടും ക്യാമറയും വിട്ടൊരു ജീവിതം ചിന്തിക്കാനേ പറ്റില്ല ഈ പെണ്‍കുട്ടിക്ക്". Mathrubhumi.
  7. ^ "Wildbuzz: Why leopards sniff cities and change their spots". Hindustan Times. 25 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Aishwarya Sridhar – youngest to win Best Nature and Wildlife Award". The New Indian Express.
  9. ^ "The week in wildlife – in pictures". The Guardian. 9 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Navi Mumbai girl wins Young Naturalist award". Mumbai Mirror.
  11. ^ "Wetlands to wastebins, Mumbai's diverse habitats house hundreds of bird species". Mongabay. 18 February 2019.
  12. ^ a b Singh, Vijay (4 August 2019). "Panvel girl wins 'Diana Award' for her contribution towards nature | Navi Mumbai News – Times of India". The Times of India.
  13. ^ a b c Singh, Vijay (7 May 2019). "Navi Mumbai: Green crusader wins Woman Icon Award for filming wildlife | Navi Mumbai News – Times of India". The Times of India.
  14. ^ a b c Srivastava, Amit (4 October 2013). "Pillai's Aishwarya Sridhar excels in Cambridge International Exams". Daily News & Analysis.
  15. ^ a b c "भारतीय 'क्वीन' न्यूयॉर्कमध्ये अव्वल". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). 1 November 2019.
  16. ^ a b c Singh, Abhitash (25 October 2019). "As a young environmentalist my aim is to save the green belt of Navi Mumbai as well as India: Aishwarya Sridhar". News Band.
  17. ^ "Aishwarya, The Young Environment Crusader Determined To Save Uran's Panje Wetlands". NMTV. 26 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier". Mid-Day. 29 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Wildlife Elemental: Click and Capture". TheVibe – Spirit of Our Times. 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  20. ^ ശ്രീധര്‍, എഴുത്ത്: രശ്മി രഘുനാഥ്/ ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍: ഐശ്വര്യ (2 June 2020). "കാടും ക്യാമറയും വിട്ടൊരു ജീവിതം ചിന്തിക്കാനേ പറ്റില്ല ഈ പെണ്‍കുട്ടിക്ക്". Mathrubhumi.
  21. ^ Bedi, Shibani (19 December 2011). "Aishwarya Sridhar wins Young Naturalist Award". India Today.
  22. ^ "Photos: These Indians are saving Planet Earth". Rediff.com. 2 December 2011.
  23. ^ Srivastava, Amit (18 March 2014). "Panvel girl wins awards in Sparrow Fest 2014". DNA India.
  24. ^ "Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2018: Winners revealed". digitalcameraworld. 26 March 2018.
  25. ^ "2020 Summit Fellows". Jackson Wild: Nature. Media. Impact. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Wild call". mid-day. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2020: Indian Photographers Who Impressed Judges". NDTV.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Aishwarya Sridhar becomes first Indian woman to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year award". www.msn.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  29. ^ "2019 WCFF Film Awards". WCFF.
  30. ^ "Selected Documentaries for 2019". SgSAIFF. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  31. ^ "How To Make Origami Elephant". WWF-India. 7 April 2020.