Udayan Rao Pawar/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
He is just 14-year old and all professional wildlife photographers around the world are clapping over his click of gharial crocodilians. And above all he is a resident of Gwalior, meet Udayan Rao Pawar who is a student of LAHS and he has been awarded as “The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013-14” by the U.K. based Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide for his fascinating photograph which he titled as, “Mother’s little headful”.
The photograph delightfully shows mother crocodile eyeing on the photographer as her young ones hunk over her head to entertain themselves. All these Gharials (crocodilian of the family Gavialidae) were clicked at the Chambal River which is a tributary of the Yamuna River in central India.
Udayan Rao Pawar at Chambal River
Waiting for the morning to arrive Udayan took his shelter to a nearby area. In the morning he took his Canon EOS 550D fitted with 100-400mm lens and captured endangered gharial crocodilians. “The mother rose to the surface from the murky depths of the river in response to the guttural calls of the hatchlings, which then rushed towards her and climbed on her head,” he said while defining his shot.
Judge Tui De Roy, a naturalist and wildlife photographer, said the composition and timing of Udayan’s photograph was impeccable. “The mother’s gaze seems directed at you, appealing to you to let her live and thrive in peace,” he said. “This image is appealing and thought-provoking, but at the same time wonderfully playful.”
The contest was categorized in three age groups, below 10 years, 11-14 years and 15-17 years. The overall winner from all age groups wins £1,000 (around Rs. 1 lakh), a trophy and a master class with a leading nature photographer.
