Rohan Chakravarty

Young Naturalist Awards (2012)

Wildlife-lover, talented cartoonist, brilliant illustrator

Rohan Chakravarty serves as a shining example of a young man who has proven that it is possible to fight for the environment without sacrificing other passions and goals that can and do drive young people. A quiet conservationist with an artist’s skill and touch, he uses illustrations and cartoons to fashion pithy messages that often do a better job of communicating nature-values and imperatives than either words or photographs. His thought-canvas includes wildlife, climate change, environmental degradation, and human sustainability.

Like so many of our finest wildlifers, young Rohan’s wildlife-adventure journey began with just one sighting of a tigress, which he saw luxuriating in a Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary pool.

As a student, Rohan was part of Sanctuary Asia’s Kids for Tigers programme in Nagpur, where he lived with his parents and his love for wildlife found expression through his art, which manifested itself best through cartoons that he brought to life with skilled hands and a keen eye. His work has been published in several magazines and journals across India. Mature beyond his years, Rohan has the ability to bring a smile to your face and introspection to your deepest thoughts. He was awarded the first prize by the United Nations Development Programme and the French government for his illustrations which highlight the impact of climate change on the Sundarbans. Rohan uses humour to push for hardcore conservation and environmental protection. His is a mind that will surely be used by India and the world to move away from the dangerous path of confrontation with nature.

For this, we honour him.