Kids for Tigers Fest 2015 - World Tiger Day Celebrations by Aircel

“Bagh Bachao, Bharat Bachao” Dia Mirza gives a clarion call

Aircel’s ‘Save Our Tigers’ initiative held at HPS School Begumpet received receives massive support from school students for World Tiger Day

Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature: Dia Mirza

AP and Telangana states have just 70 tigers, number of which is likely to go upto 100 in next 2 to 3 years: say Tiger Conservation Activists

Aircel has a deep-rooted commitment to the cause of tiger conservation and many of its successful initiatives have contributed to the increased tiger population in India : Brinda Malhotra

Hyderabad, July 28, 2015: Aircel, one of India’s leading innovative mobile service providers, as part of its ‘Kids For Tigers’ program, organised a program for kids at Hyderabad Public School at Begumpet today to mark the celebration of World Tiger Day on July 29th. On this eve, “Bagh Divas’ was celebrated.

International Tiger Day is held annual on July 29 to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers. It is both an awareness day as a celebration. It was founded at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010. This was done because at that moment wild tigers were too close to extinction. Many animal welfare organisations pledged to help these wonderful creatures and are still helping to raise funds to reach this goal. The goal of Tiger Day is to promote the protection and expansion of the wild tigers habitats and to gain support through awareness for tiger conservation.

The Aircel initiative held at HPS today in association with Sanctuary Asia was aimed at educating children about tiger conservation. The event drew together more than 1,500 students and inspired them by the cause that Aircel calls ‘Save Our Tigers’ – one of the largest and the most comprehensive programs on tiger conservation in India.

The program started with Ramandeep Kaur Samra, the Principal of HPS paying rich tributes to his Excellency Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. As a mark of respect to the People’s former President of India, a two minutes silence was observed. This was followed by the recitation of a poem by Paridhi Bisht. Ild life film was screened in order to bring awareness among the students. Katyani and Ahon of the Primary School recited the people, “Tiger Tiger Burning Bright” by William Blake.

Celebrated Bollywood actor Dia Mirzaand Environmentalist & Founder Editor of Sanctuary Asia Bittu Sahgal. Brinda Malhotra, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility of Aircel, HPS School. Princ Samra along with senior forest officials were present at the occasion extending their support and contribution to World Tiger Day.

Speaking on the occasion, Dia Mirza gave a clarion call. “Bagh Bachao. Bharath Bachao”. Screening two films 01. “Nature Speaking” , 02. “Dear Future Generations: Sorry”, she emphasised that “Nature doesn’t need people. But, people need nature”. Better protect. “You can not go away from the nature or keep apart from the nature. You are the part of the nature” she said. Tiger is in all of us. We must should so loud that government of India must listen your voice and conserve forests and tigers. The tigers are extincting. We need to protect them. There is a tiger in each one of us, she said. She made children took oath that “I am the Tiger. Leave me alone. All I need is a space and isolation. I am the nature”. She has asked the children to do three things: 01. Stop people causing harm to the nature, 02. Remember Nature is Part of our life,, 03. Save Tigers.

Speaking further, Dia Mirza said, “Global Tiger Day is a not just a day to mark in our calendars but a resolution to make a commitment to ourselves as individuals to remember that the Tiger is the metaphor for life and that in protecting the Tiger and its habitat we are in fact protecting our own future. What better than to have Kids become Tiger champions and make this resolve? I am happy to come back home and to The Hyderabad Public School that remains iconic for its heritage to convey this important message.”

Aircel will also be engaging young tiger ambassadors from other cities across the country with rallies, in-school slide presentations, street plays, fun games and competitions with the focus to create high awareness on Tiger Conservation.
Speaking on the occasion,Brinda Malhotra, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, Aircel,said, “Tiger Conservation is at the core ofAircel’s Corporate Social Responsibility program and we have been relentlessly working for the cause with multiple on-ground initiatives to ensure the safety of tigers. Undoubtedly, awareness about the cause is as important as the ground work, and it brings us great pride that ‘Save Our Tigers’ has left a lasting impression on many Indians, while ‘Kids For Tigers’ inspires tomorrow’s generation to care for their environment. In order to spread the footprints of our message, we have also created young tiger ambassadors across the country, who feel passionately for the cause and are celebrating World Tiger Day with utmost enthusiasm. Indeed, this makes us hopeful of a better future of our environment.”

Bittu Sahgal, Founder Editor, Sanctuary Asia said, “Tigers sit at the pinnacle of the ecological pyramid and saving them is equivalent to saving nature. We want to inspire as many children as possible to take action to prevent the loss of this beautiful animal. These children hold the future of this planet in their hands and will make the right choices if they know what is at stake.”

Aircel has a deep-rooted commitment to the cause of tiger conservation and many of its successful initiatives have contributed to the increased tiger population in India today.
Both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states together have now 70 tigers and their numbers are going to go upto 100 in next two to three years said, Imran Siddiqui, Field Biologist and Co-founder of Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society.
About Aircel’s ‘Save Our Tigers’ initiative:

The Tiger is our national animal and one that has been a part of our folklore and history for millennia. Yet this magnificent animal is on the brink of extinction. The Tiger can easily be called as the metaphor for nature, as it is a top predator and its existence ensures a healthy and a sustainable ecological balance. The year 2008 revealed the shocking number that there were just ‘1411’ tigers left in India. ‘Save Our Tigers’ is a cause related campaign started by Aircel during the latter part of 2008 with an aim to create mass awareness on the plight of this magnificent beast and rally efforts to save it.

The tag line, ‘Just 1411 left, Save Our Tigers’, struck a chord in the hearts and minds of millions of Indians.People began to rally for the cause and began to lend their voices towards the cause.

Our seriousness towards doing our bit to Save Our Tigers has led us to partner with several well-known organizations like World Wildlife Fund-India, Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildlife Trust of India, Sanctuary Asia and NDTV as well as several noted conservationists to create an impact on ground where it really matters. We work on several projects that encompass capacity building, conflict mitigation and awareness creation. This helps us address issues in 360 degrees and reach out to create maximum impact.

About Sanctuary Asia
Sanctuary Asia is a virtual junction for wildlife conservation news and campaigns across India. The magazine was launched in 1981 and has been edited since by Bittu Sahgal, who is one of the strongest voices for biodiversity protection and climate change action in India. Sanctuary is currently working on conflict resolution between wildlife and social rights groups to the advantage of tigers and the communities that live next to them. For more information please visit: www.sanctuaryasia.com