ATR - For a Cause

Not many can achieve a feat that wildlife photographer Aarzoo Khurana has. Not only is she a popular wildlife photographer - she is also, perhaps the only photographer to have visited All Tiger Reserves (ATR) under a specific time for her ATR project. Asian Photography spoke to her about her passion, wildlife conservation and her project, which is now exhibiting in different parts of the country. Excerpts:

- BHAVYA DESAI

What inspired you to pick up the camera and later contribute to the cause of wildlife conservation?

Cameras were magical as a child, but expensive and my father hesitated to give me one. I persisted and sneaked his camera, frustrating him. He hid it, but I always found it. At 15, I got a Kodak camera and Dad taught me to load reels. I was thrilled, but school pressures made photography fade.

After school, the photography bug returned. Facebook was full of pictures with blurred backgrounds. I asked for a DSLR and got one. I practiced at home and then photographed pigeons and cats in parks. Balancing this passion with law exams, I slowly forgot about photography.

But then, there was this one unforgettable moment at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. I had just started out seriously with photography, and I found myself in the freezing cold, sitting in the mud, waiting for a pair of Sarus cranes that might not even show up. It felt pointless at the time, but I stayed. An hour later, when my hands had nearly turned to ice, the cranes arrived. I shot frame after frame as they called out and danced in perfect harmony.

One shot, in particular, stood out. The fog had draped gently around them, the golden light broke through, and the male crane had flared its feathers like a delicate skirt while the female faced him, the translucency of their feathers illuminated. It was breathtaking. At that moment, I realised that very few people my age would sit in the cold for hours, waiting for such a common bird. But when seen like this - bathed in light, glowing against the fog - it was as if they were celestial beings.

That moment was pivotal for me. It pushed me to become a storyteller of the forest, to show people the beauty of everyday wildlife that most would overlook. It was also the spark that later inspired me to start Project ATR (All Tiger Reserves) - to reveal the magic in both the common and the extraordinary.