


Raj Baishya, a businessman by profession and a wildlife photographer by passion. His love of wildlife started from a young age, learning to respect and care for wildlife. All his life, he has been drawn to animals, particularly wild ones. He gravitated to wild, natural places and to the large charismatic creatures that live there, from the smallest of bird to the big wild elephants, rhinos and tigers. A decade ago, looking for a hobby, he took a course in basic photography at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi under the guidance of Mr. O. P. Sharma. He was fascinated by the camera’s ability to capture the most minute detail and the most intense colour. His discovery of wildlife photography felt like a fulfilment of that lifelong affinity and fascination for animals. Raj has been practicing wildlife photography for more than 20 years. During that time, he has learned the true meaning of the word ‘perseverance’. Wildlife photography is a loosely-defined profession which demands a passion for nature and art, and he has excelled in both. There are indeed so much more than skills that make one successful and popular in a particular field and those are the instincts of perseverance, courage to let go a comfortable life, not giving into failures and incessant experiments and introspections. He has been chased by wild animals, bitten by snake/other deadly animals, and spent months and months in scorching heat and rain to get that perfect shot. His photography depicts a message for wildlife conservation specially of the endangered species. Raj, is also the Director of Huro Programme, Assam Division - that works for the conservation and rescue of the Western Hoolock. The Western Hoolock Gibbon is the only species of ape found in the Indian sub-continent and is listed as an endangered primate species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List (IUCN-Red List). Raj, along with Florian Magne, Founder & Executive Director of the HURO Programme are working meticulously for the rehabilitation of this species, so that they can get a change in this world and don’t become extinct.