A life in the wild

Rana Siddiqui Zaman | NT

Bengaluru: If one is driven by passion, no profession or age matters. A Delhi-based Jagdeep Rajput, banker and marketing professional was a painter by hobby who turned award winning wild life photographer, to answer his passion for nature and animals.

A senior associate officer at State Bank of India’s Delhi branch Jagdeep, “refused to take promotions” as that would have him glued to the chair and disrupted his passion for wildlife photography.

For 38 years he worked at the bank. Jagdeep would save leaves to go on excursions to hunt tigers and birds for shooting.

“Initially it was very difficult for lack of money. Slowly, I learnt to manage my job and passion alongside, and also save money as photography is an expensive affair.”

He started shooting in 1989. “I happened to buy my first telephoto zoom, a 70-210 mm lens to help me sketch portraits of people.”

The love for tigers for this Bhagat Singh College Delhi University youth then, was so strong that he happened to go to Ranthambore, and as luck would have it, “within 10 minutes of reaching I met my first tiger. I spent half-an-hour with him, and walked. Within 10 minutes, I got to see another tiger. I again spent half an hour with him, within 10 minutes again, it was a hat trick! I shot three tigers and spend half a day with them. Incidentally on way back, I met all three tigers at a distance of 10 minutes each, as if they were waiting for me,” he recalls his most exciting shooting experience, adding, “the animals can sense your nervous system. So they were quiet and friendly with me.”

For this he was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year, jointly given by BBC and Natural History Museum, London which initiated it. This was his first and considered the most prestigious award till date, in the realm.

Soon, painting natural phenomenon with light and winning awards became a by-product of a lifelong passion, which now allows him to be part of the natural world.

Presently Jagdeep is Canon EOS Ambassador and Wildlife Editor and Moderator at Nature Photographers Network, USA. So far his body of work has been awarded around the globe by the Wildlife Photographer of the year competition, UK, National Geographic, USA, Canon USA, Canon Hong Kong; Canon Singapore, Canon India UNESCO France, HIPA Photography competition, Dubai, and honorable mention in 33 rd Memorial Maria Luisa photo contest in Spain and many other international awards.

Now Jagdeep “is very keen to come to Karnataka to shoot black leopard in Kabini. Bengaluru has been a birth place for wildlife photography in India, as the early great photographers were all from Bengaluru and there disciples went on multiplying.

Photographers like Mr. F. W. Champion, Mr. O. C. Edwards, Mr. M. Y. Ghorpade, Mr. T. N. A. Perumal and all inspire me no end,” he concludes.