Beauty in Nature

My Scholarship entry - Birds of Thol

India | Monday, November 24, 2014 | 5 photos

Born in Gujarat, India, I lost my father when I was 12 and had to support my family. I joined Manav Sadhna, a local non-profit, where I could earn and still go to school. In 2005 I joined Seva Café, a gift-economy experiment. Our philosophy is to Love All, Serve All. For me this ideology includes all living beings. The Cafe has evolved into a global movement and now I am the managing coordinator. As a child I loved animals and would rescue them, take them to the doctor and build homes for them. I was also drawn to nature through National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. Then I began exploring wildlife sanctuaries and would take pictures with my cellphone to share with others. Someone then gifted me an SLR and pushed me to explore photography. Now the camera is like my third eye, nurturing the way I see nature. I am inspired to work on my photography so that I may relate deeper to nature and share her beauty with a wider audience. I have always been in awe of the Amazon. Anytime I visit a place that overwhelms me, I bow to the ground and kiss it. It is my ultimate dream to do this in the Amazon. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to take a step closer to that dream.