CHENNAI: Vikas Madhav’s camera is probably as big as he is. He may be only 12 years old, but this schoolgoer has earned quite a reputation for himself as the city’s youngest birdwatcher and photographer. In fact, every year since 2009, as part of his conservation efforts Vikas has come out with an eco-conservation calendar of bird varieties - all shot by him! Fitted into his busy schedule right before Maths tuition classes, one can tell that this youngster is more focused than most adults. “Hello,” he nods his head quite formally from his couch. There is no need to try an ice breaker to put this school goer at ease before the interview begins – Vikas has already taken the reins. Apparently it is time for geography class. Standing at four feet tall, ‘my teacher’ leads me to the living room’s large flat TV screen, and puts on a slide show of all the pictures he has taken so far. Class commences.He points to the screen, “That’s a Black Winged Stilt. I took it at the Theosophical Society in Adyar.” This photograph, in fact, reached the finals of an international photography competition in the UK, conducted jointly by the BBC Wildlife Magazine and the British Natural History Museum. “Ah, now this is the Sandpiper,” he taps his finger in a ‘teacherly’ fashion on a bird in the next picture. “Any birdwatcher would get confused between one Sandpiper (male or female) and another. You can tell the difference only by the smallest of markings on the bird,” he offers as trivia. Vikas explains each species in detail with a mention of its habitat, where it is most likely to be found and even how frequently it is seen. It is evident this isn’t his first time schooling a ‘bird class’. He admits, “I took the fourth standard students from Sishya, OMR ,to Pallikaranai on a field trip once.” Then adds seriously, “I only do field trips on Sundays, so I don’t miss school.”With his mom’s prodding, he even says that he received an invitation from an IT company to present a lecture on different bird types on World Environment Day. With Vikas’ interest in birdwatching, his mom confesses that she too is now addicted to birdwatching.Who accompanies him on his photography expeditions? “I’m a member of the Madras Naturalist’s Society so I travel a lot with them,” he explains. He has already made 30 trips to places including Mysore, Nelliyampathi, Kerala and even the Andamans. “I’m going to the Jim Corbett National Park next,” he says excitedly. Our time is up. His Maths tuition teacher arrived, and it’s Vikas’ turn to go back to being a student. One last question – what does he want to do when he grows up? “I want to take up the work that Salim Ali (fondly called the Bird Man of India) has left behind,” he smiles. Then again, he reveals, “I’m also getting interested in reptiles.”
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