A visitor at the 'Nature in Focus' photography exhibition in Bengaluru.
In the middle of urban Bengaluru, incredible images of wildlife were being admired over the weekend. 'Nature in Focus', a photography festival for those who love wildlife, photography - and wildlife photography - was held in the city.
It's a kind of nature worship. Preserving with photographs the images of the beautiful natural world, 'Nature in Focus' brought together those who follow this religion.
One convert, festival director Kalyan Varma, who left his IT job to follow his heart into wildlife 10 years ago.
"It is people showcasing their work, stories they have published. We have editors of magazines coming and saying this is what we are looking for, we don't have enough stuff. A gamut of things packed into one festival. The high point is the tea-break and the lunch breaks because you get to meet all the people who are working in the wildlife community, scientists, conservationists, forest department. There are talks - you hear about photography, presentations, but the key is this single venue which allows people to interact with others in the industry," he told NDTV.
Photographer Sudhir Shivaram said, "We try to see what are the key issues which are going around, even from a technology point of view, exploring the forests, what are we currently doing and what else can we do."
The festival had scientists, environmentalists and, of course, professional and amateur photograpers. And Karnataka's Forest Department was also represented.
Vijay Mohan Raj, Chief Conservator of Forests had a message for photographers. "What nature photography takes place in our country is primarily happening in our forests. And we, the Forest Department are the custodians of these forests. It is very important to tell people to behave responsibly in these forests. That has become a big issue now - people entering into forests - knowing forest etiquette is most important," he said.
"The best part of seeing an image, you feel proud that you are trying to protect these things," he added.