While most youngsters in their 20s are busy capturing the moments of drinking and dancing all night, 23-year-old Aishwarya Sridhar is busy capturing the ethereal beauty of wildlife and making the world see the heavenliness of wildlife with her professional lens that a naked eye cannot see. With her lens in one hand and her passion for wildlife photography in the other, Aishwarya is all set to give the world a new definition of photography.

Aishwarya Sridhar and her glorious victories.

Aishwarya Sridhar has created headlines by becoming the first and youngest woman to capture the image of endangered fireflies deep in the Western Ghats made her win the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award in the Adult category. In 2020, the prize will celebrate 56 years and was announced at the Natural History Museum.  In addition to this, she is also the first and only female to win the Sanctuary Asia- Young Naturalist Award as well as the International Camera Fair Award. Her other honours include the Governor of Tamil Nadu’s “Diana Award” and “Woman Icon India Award” for her contributions to the environment.

Aishwarya’s love for capturing mesmerizingly beautiful photographs of the wildlife has not only grabbed the attention of awards but also the attention of renowned committees, newspapers, and magazines.

Sridhar’s exquisite work has been highlighted in the pages of BBC Wildlife, The Guardian, Sanctuary Asia, Saevus, Hindustan Times, Mumbai Mirror, Digital Camera, Mathrubhumi, and Mongabay. She has also been appointed as a promising member of the State Wetland Identification Committee appointed by the Bombay High Court.

Her strong zeal for photography and her unprecedented work has made her reach new heights in her career.

Aishwarya Sridhar and her early life.

Aishwarya hails from Panvel, Maharashtra, and comes from a Tamil background. She is the daughter of Rani Sridhar and Sridhar Ranganathan, a member of the Bombay Natural History Society.

Owing to the profession of Aishwarya’s father, Aishwarya got exposure of spending time with nature and its habitants. She always used to escort her father on treks to numerous forests. Aishwarya began trekking in the Ratnagiri forests in Maharashtra at a young age, and her interest in photography started to show its colours when she was only 13 years old.

Aishwarya Sridhar and her other achievements.

In 2018, Aishwarya’s first documentary, ‘Panje-The Last Wetland,’ aired on DD National. It was all about preserving Uran’s sole surviving wetland, Panje. The film was instrumental in obtaining an order from the Bombay High Court to halt the reclamation of the wetland.

She has also been awarded the Best Amateur Film Award at the 9th Wildlife Conservation Film Festival for her movie “The Queen of Taru.”

Aishwarya is a poet and writer in addition to being a filmmaker and photographer. She has successfully achieved every goal she has set for herself and continues to do so. In addition to this, she is an apt example for every little girl dreaming about being in the profession of photography. Aishwarya has set the bars of the photography and filmmaking world so perfectly that every aspiring girl can wish to achieve it.

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