Connect The Dots

by Rashmi Bansal

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Go all out! Unlike what people think there are great opportunities in India to be a wildlife scientist, to be a wildlife photographer. As I said it’s what you make of it. Second, you need to have passion - more than any qualification. Many people come to me and say, “I’ve done a diploma in film, tell me how can I work with BBC or National Geographic? I want to do wildlife films…” So I ask them, “How many forests have you been to?” They say, “None.” Ask them to tell the names of 10 birds in India and they can’t name even one! You won’t believe it, but almost all the people I know who work with BBC or National Geographic - none of them are trained film makers or trained biologists. They come from different walks of life but they are all passionate about films and about wildlife. You have to find what you love - and make it happen. I worked 3 years without pay, to get my foot in the door. Buying a bigger house or car were not my personal milestones. Yes, you need equipment for wildlife photography but you can start with a T 50,000 budget, a basic camera, a cheap zoom lens. It’s like computers; you don’t need a Mac Book or 4 GB RAM to be a good programmer. You can work even on a mobile phone or an old, dusty PC. Some of my best pictures are with the old, cheap lenses. People still love those pictures. And finally, you must ‘think different’. That applies to every field, whether it’s music or art or literature. If your style is completely different...