The Malabar Whistling Thrush, a shiny black fowl, sings superbly at daybreak in the forest. A collection of mystical whistles that go ‘tseee’, ‘tseee’ resembling a whistling college boy float out of rainforests in Valparai as the documentary Save the Macaquesperforms on the massive display screen. We are at the Bosch Global Software Technologies campus in Saravanampatti to fulfill the members 360° Pixtures, a images neighborhood fashioned by engineers with a love for Nature and conservation.
They are out with their first manufacturing — a film on the critically endangered lion-tailed macaques, a primate that may be discovered solely in the rainforests of the Western Ghats. “This entrancing melody of the thrush takes over the valley and follows you wherever you go,” says Harigokul Shanmugham, a software program engineer and considered one of the core members of 360° Pixtures. Other members embrace Samuel Victor from Udhagamandalam, a birder since his childhood whereas Shakti Bala Krishna, a brand new entrant to the neighborhood, has shifted gears from avenue and portrait images to wildlife. Srikanth Santhinathan is fondly referred to by his colleagues as ‘man of the forest’ and Periyarmathi Mahalingam is taken into account an encyclopedia on birds of Coimbatore.
Says Samuel, “I started a Nature Club and introduced birding at campus. As part of CSR activity, we documented slender loris in Dindigul over a period of three years. We trained tribal people in plumbing, carpentry and electrician work, helped women formed self-help groups.”
Tiger at Kabini
| Photo Credit:
Ramachandiran Govindaraj
Constant consciousness introduced down the variety of highway kills and the lorris inhabitants elevated significantly. “It was heartening,” explains Sam including that icing on the cake for the group was when the Tamil Nadu Government declared the Kaduvur slender loris sanctuary masking 11,806 hectares in Karur and Dindigul in 2022.
“People are happier,” says Naved Narayanan, Center Head of Bosch Coimbatore, including that such communities initiated by folks join folks to the bodily world. While the FitForFuture — Fit.Kovai Strategy steered by Naved drives house the message on staying match, the 360° Pixtures neighborhood makes use of images as a software to maintain the buzz round atmosphere, conservation, and biodiversity safety. Started in 2022 with 9 core members, it has grown to accommodate 1200 members. During workshops at the campus on images methods utilizing DSLR, mirrorless cameras, and even cell units, they share compelling tales from the wild, fostering a deeper appreciation for nature and the have to protect it.
Great Indian Hornbill
| Photo Credit:
Rekha Varma
“Outings in the jungle can be addictive,” chips in Rekha Varma who heads the neighborhood, including that the firm of her group makes an ideal setting for travels in the wild. “During our Valparai trip, it was raining and the leeches were out, giving us a hard time. While we followed an elephant with our cameras, we almost missed a sloth bear. After a few anxious moments, we spotted the bear walking towards the elephant. And sambar deers grazing on the hills went on an alert mode after seeing the predator approaching. It was a perfect goosebumps moment, a frame any photographer would love to capture.”
The group additionally places collectively an annual photograph exhibition titled ‘Avni: Our Mother Nature’ the place they show wildlife and nature-centric pictures of members on the market. The proceeds, routed by means of CSR, are used to publish a bilingual booklet on wildlife of Tamil Nadu for college kids of Government School in Keeranatham.
Lion-tailed Macaque
| Photo Credit:
Srikanth Santhinathan
Naved causes that at occasions when persons are consumed by the digital house, particularly the AI world, such actions assist them spend productive time away from the screens. “We have communities on gardening, where we have earmarked a space to grow vegetables, fruits, and greens. We have communities that go cycling and running. A lot of people who wanted to get back to reading came together and that’s how our book club community came into being where they read physical books. These communities thrive on meeting people physically. It helps build confidence in leading. At work, they showcase this capability.”
The documentary was shot over three weekends. It concerned 10 subject visits throughout eight months to seize three completely different seasons and the altering colors of the panorama. It highlights the challenges and threats confronted by the primate. For instance, growing human interplay is a rising concern in areas the place roads and plantations proceed to encroach on pure habitats. The macaques at Puthuthottam in the Valparai Hills provide a singular, decades-long report of such interactions. Initially, these macaques averted human meals even when accessible, however habitat disruptions and tourism have drastically altered their behaviour.
Malabar Whistling Thrush
| Photo Credit:
Shakthi B
The closing shot of the film reveals the cover bridges in Valparai that assist lion-tailed macaques safely cross roads. The roadmap forward for the group additionally lists a visit to look at fireflies in Anamalai. The group in collaboration with Arulagam, an NGO that works in direction of vulture conservation will quickly doc challenges and threats confronted by critically endangered Red-Headed, Long-billed and Oriental White-Backed vultures. “In field trips, each one is assigned responsibilities and they own it from end to end. It helps develop leadership and project management capabilities. The learning is immense,” says Rekha, including, “When we come together it’s magic.”
Published – June 18, 2025 05:29 pm IST
