Chasing Whispers

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The pride of Assam, Nameri is home to the White-winged duck, which is the State bird of Assam. These are one of the most beautiful, secretive birds in our ecosystem. They occur in dense tropical evergreen forests, near rivers and swamps. However, sadly the global population has declined to less than 1000 and it is now a critically endangered bird as per IUCN. This documentary is a small attempt to create awareness among fellow Indians and especially the people of Assam. It shows my five year long wait, wherein I covered more than 300 kms walking, with no sightings, fleeting glimpses and witnessing ravaged and disappearing habitats. My days were full of encounters with wild boars, elephants and even a tiger. Yet this did not deter me from my goal of seeking this duck. The wait was finally over when as quietly like a whisper it came and sat on a branch where I imagined it would be. It was from this five year wait the idea of the OREKA Foundation which is solely concerned with conservation through creativity emerged. This short documentary is purely dedicated for creating awareness for conservation purpose only.