Nagpur:
At a time when coal mining and other detrimental projects are posing a severe threat to forest and wildlife, state forest department has decided to promote its rich biodiversity and wildlife through film festivals.
This will be for the first time wildlife film festivals will be organized in cities by the forest department with the help of Nature Walk, Pune. The proposal has already been approved by principal secretary (forests) Praveen Pardeshi. The schedules and detailed programme will be worked out at a meeting to be held in Mumbai on Thursday.
R R Sahay, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for information and technology and policy, said, “It’s an attempt to give impetus to forest and wildlife. We have asked our officials to coordinate with Nature Walk.”
The festivals will be organized not only in cities like Aurangabad, Solapur, Nashik, Kolhapur and Nagpur as proposed by the Nature Walk, but in other places too, Sahay told TOI. Nature Walk has a collection of around 900 films that showcase wildlife, forest and biodiversity of our country. “We in Pune hold wildlife film festivals that are highly appreciated by the common man. There is huge viewership of wildlife on channels like Discovery and National Geographic, but these channels don’t promote much about our region,” said Anuj Khare, honorary district wildlife warden of Pune.
Khare feels these festivals will not only help create awareness but will help brand building. The publicity wing of the forest department will help with auditorium or a school hall of a capacity of at least 500 people with a good audio system. The forest officials will also help in making other arrangements.
“Plan is to hold such festivals on Saturdays and Sundays where Nature Walk team will screen the films. The films will be first introduced and then a post-screening discussion will be held. We can also have a morning nature walk on one of the days. This will help build goodwill of forest department,” Khare felt.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Nagpur / by Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN / September 27th, 2012
