OdishaLIVE Bureau
- ‘Birds of Odisha’ – a unique publication to be released soon
- Odisha birds captured through lenses of father daughter duo
- Spectacular book by the photographers to mesmerize nature lovers
Odisha is all set to hit the new score card in wild life photography, a profession highly sought after and a passion quite rare and unexampled. Former Navy man and at present a Senior Superintendent of Central GST and Customs Pramod Dhal and his techno savvy daughter Gloria Dhal have carved out niche positions for them in the area of bird photography which has added another feather to Odisha’s glorious cap as the state has earned much of fame for the innumerable flocks of birds migrating from Siberia and other far off regions of the globe.
“I had an opportunity to work with the renowned NGO, ‘Wild Orissa’ and regularly participated in the bird surveys of Chilika Lake, Bhitarkanika National Park, Mahanadi and Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary; and also participated in Common Bird Monitoring Programme of BNHS etc. And in the process I actually learnt every tit-bit about birds”, narrates Pramod Dhal while talking to OdishaLIVE.
The famed father-daughter duo, have passionately photographed 316 species of birds in their natural habitat in the state of Odisha which has been showcased in the form of an attractive publication.
The book, titled ‘Birds of Odisha’, contains pictorial presentation of close-up a 1000 stunning images in 720 pages, bringing each bird to life on the pages; and highlights its key features. The book can be of great utility to growing numbers of bird lovers, bird watchers, photographers, students of natural science, forestry and wildlife as well as professionals, conservationists and those enforcing Wildlife law.
“This would be a prized addition to various libraries in the state and outside. It can also be a must for the Forest Divisions and Ranges. Even a common man could find it informative, interesting and can acquire deep insight on various birds found in Odisha, their habitat and lifestyle”, adds the wildlife photographer and writer of the unique publication while narrating his deep passion on the subject.
Pramod Dhal now reckoned as a great birder recounts how during his childhood days he was obsessed with the dream of keeping a bird as his pet that would sing to his call and move along with him to school perched on his shoulder. Growing up in a village he experienced handling many birds including Asian Koel (Koili), Common Mynah (Bani), Asian Pied Starling (Ghu Kalika), Black headed Oriole (Haladi Basanta) and White-breasted Kingfisher (Dhobani Chadhei). He caught and captivated the feathered species in cages and continued the practice until he left his village in 1978. Unfortunately, a majority of them died in the process, leaving a deep scar in his heart and mind. This time, it was not for experimenting with wild birds as pets but to heal the deep scar he sustained once.
Observation of birds in their natural habitats added enormously to his understanding of their occurrence and behavior from mating to nesting and hatchlings. Having forayed into the world of birding at a very tender age, his daughter Gloria, an MTech has been his first and consistent birding partner ever since his passion bloomed in to a professional choice moving parallel with his tedious official assignments.
The book will herald a new era in wildlife photography and be reckoned as a priceless treasure for passionate bird watchers and nature lovers from all walks of life across the state and beyond.
Design and digital execution of this massive work has been handled by senior visualiser Biswal Sudhakar who has also carved a name for himself with an active creative career over 3 decades. “When I got into the project, I slowly found it to be a challenge in terms of the volume and technicalities. In fact, it was a good and creative exercise for me. So, I gave a lot of my time, attention and insight to make the work different from my past deliveries”, says the artist.
“The publication can be treated as a complete and single source of information on Birds of Odisha and the book is first of its kind in the state. It can thus be a milestone to spread public awareness on avian fauna of the state. Similarly, all the photographs have been carefully selected to show the spectacular features of the species. The text provides vital and new information of each species”, the authors claim.
“This book can also be useful as a pictorial field guide for accurate identification for birdwatchers and students. Above all it can be an engaging and indispensable read for all”, add the authors.
