Meet Gwalior-based teenager Udayan Rao Pawar who won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award

When Gwalior-based teenager Udayan Rao Pawar combined his passion for wildlife with his flair for photography, he ended up winning the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide. Aishwarya Yerra reports.

The picture is visually spellbinding. Called ‘Mother’s little headful’, 14-year-old Udayan Rao Pawar’s prize-winning photo shows the chief female of the gharials (a kind of crocodile) swimming near the Chambal River shore with hatchlings perched atop her head. This picture won Pawar the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. the contest co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide. In its 49th year, the competition showcases the best of nature photography and receives thousands of entries from across the world. In a phone interview, Pawar opens up on his remarkable achievement.

How did your interest in wildlife and photography develop?
URP: Our house is located on the outskirts in Gwalior. We have a huge backyard which has always been an animal kingdom of sorts. When I was almost six years old, my father gave me a field identification book and a pair of binoculars. I would spend hours looking for insects, birds or any kind of animal and identifying them from the book. Soon, my father gifted me a camera with a built-in zoom feature to take pictures of the animals. This whetted my interest for wildlife and soon my camera was upgraded to an entry level DLSR — a Canon 550 D with 100-400mm zoom lens. I had a keen interest in wildlife and my camera was my medium to enjoy this interest.

What kind of guidance or training did you receive in photography?
URP: Gwalior does not have enough resources to learn photography — there are no courses or workshops. Once I got my first DLSR, I spent hours taking pictures and experimenting with different modes and settings. Through these attempts, I taught myself.

Did your family influence your inclination towards wildlife in any way?
URP: My father loves wildlife too and he makes a lot trips around India to study it. I have accompanied him on many of these trips and that is where I managed to study animals, their environment and their behaviour. These trips also gave the chance to take pictures of animals in their natural habitats. Dad and I have been to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, National Chambal Sanctuary, the Himalayas, Ladakh, Sikkim and to remote parts of Rajasthan. Luckily for me, my school was very supportive and gave me permission to make these trips even
during term time.

What was going through your mind before you got the news of having won the Young Wildlife Photogrpaher of the Year award?
URP: To be honest, winning this competition has been my goal for a long time. Even last year, I submitted my entry for Wildlife Photographer of the Year but I was only made it till the first round. This year, according to the competition instructions, I submitted my entry in December last year.

They called me up and confirmed that I had been shortlisted and that I was a category winner early this year. There are 18 category winners. We were flown to London, where in a ceremony at Natural History Museum, they announced the winners for the senior and junior grand titles after giving away prizes to the category winners and runner-ups. I was extremely excited to be there but also nervous. The size of the event is both amazing and intimidating.

What did you get along with the award?
URP: As a category winner, I won 500 pounds and the grand title gave me another 1,000 pounds. But what I am actually very excited about is that I have also been promised a short photography course by my idol Steve Winter.  The renowned National Geographic photographer was a jury member of the competition. He has invited me to accompany him when he comes to India to study leopards.

Judge Tui De Roy described your winning photograph as wonderfully playful and thought-provoking. Tell us how you captured it.
URP: I took the picture in Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh, on the banks of the Chambal River. The photograph captures a moment between the gharial mother and its newly-hatched babies as they climb onto her head and crowd around. I set shop on the banks of the river at 4.30am and hid behind a large rock, waiting for the right moment. At 7am, with the perfect morning light as the background and my camera in the priority mode, I took the picture. And the end result turned out beautifully.

Wildlife or photography, which is closer to your heart? Which one do you want to pursue as a career?
URP:  Between both, wildlife is my obvious answer. It has always been my passion. Photography is a thing that just happened to me. I want to be a wildlife conservationist and I have my future mapped out. I want to study biology and environmental sciences at the Edinburgh University in England. But I will always continue capturing my journey through wildlife pictures. So, photography will always remain a close friend.