Nirmal Kulkarni felicitated with the prestigious
‘Karmaveer Puraskar’
Nov
2012:
Nirmal U Kulkarni was felicitated with
the coveted ‘Karmaveer Puraskar’ award on the 26th of November in
New Delhi at an exclusive awards function which was a part of “iCONGO’s REX
Conclave, organized on 25th, 26th
and 27th .of November 2012.
REX ( www.rexideas.com )is Latin for KING and
REX conclaves shall be the king of all good thought leadership for
CHANGE conclaves (with an eclectic mix of “ROCKSTAR SPEAKERS”, cause related performers, short film screenings & awards)
where ideas speak out to
encourage proactive action to change our world. REX CONCLAVE is the scaled up
new avatar of the RIGHT every WRONG conclave, which were knowledge forums
that were pivotal for pioneering huge thought leadership for addressing
various social issues ranging from Education to Healthcare & Poverty to
Marginalization, Climate Change, Corruption, Environment, Electoral Reforms,
CSR, Communalism, MDGs and Constitutional rights & duties awareness.
The CtrlS - iCONGO promoted “KARMAVEER PURASKAAR (KVP)” are the Global Awards for Social Justice and Citizen Action instituted by the people sector &
civil society with various partner organizations, citizens at large and media
supporters. Be the change you want to see in this world is what every KARMAVEER
inherently believes and practices.
The awards are given every year on the 26th day of November,
our National Social Justice and
Citizen Action Day, the day we adopted our constitutional pledge as
a REPUBLIC and Indian Citizens in 1949. It
is the first award of its kind from India, and probably around the globe,
that has been held every year for the past 5 years, at a very austere, simple
and dignified program in New Delhi.
The “KARMAVEER PURASKAAR” awards ceremony has over the years
become a “MELTING POT” where People from India & Global Citizens that
comprise individuals ranging from princes and princesses to global bestselling
authors, young politicians, statesmen, bureaucrats, ambassadors, actors,
singers, captains of industry, media professionals, development workers, young
adults, students, school children, homemakers, academicians, slum workers and
others who come “TOGETHER as
ONE to RIGHT every WRONG”.
iCONGO, in
association with CtrlS, VSO India and SOAP, has also launched Karmayuga-Right
every Wrong Generation, an initiative that salutes and showcases the extra
ordinary and inspiring work done by ordinary mortals, to Right a Wrong that
they see around them.
The awards recognize and applaud the social commitment of concerned individuals, who have proactively and voluntarily worked
for bringing a positive transformation in the society and the world we live in.
In today’s world where there is huge apathy & indifference, we feel a
paramount need for being not just a good person but also a good citizen who
exercises her/ his rights, duties & responsibilities as a concerned, just
and humane citizen.
Nirmal, a herpetologist and wildlife photographer has worked in
the Western Ghats of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra and as a group team leader
in Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala. He is involved in data collection and
consultancy services on eco-tourism and wildlife research projects across the
country. His experience in setting up and running Wildernest Nature Resort, an
eco-tel in the heart of Chorla Ghats, holds him in good stead. He was also part
of a team that worked on conserving the forests of the Northern Western Ghats
of India and led to the creation of the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, and also
helped declare the Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary as a Proposed Tiger reserve.
Among the significant discoveries to his credit are three new
species of legless amphibians, the caecilians - Goan caecilian (Gegeneophis
goaensis), Mahdei caecilian (Gegeneophis mhadeiensis), and the
Chorla Giant striped Ichthyophis (Ichthyophis davidi). He was part of a team
that reported new sub-species of the pit viper (Peotobothrops jerdonii
xanthomelas) - the Jerdon’s Red spotted pit and ahs various other notes,
articles and research papers to his credit on Indian herps (reptiles and
amphibians).
He has established
the Mhadei region’s first independent field research station, the Mahdei
Research Centre, which trains young naturalists, brings communities and
wildlife enthusiasts on the same platform, and documents the biodiversity of
the region. He has also authored a book titled ‘The Goan Jungle Book” which is
aimed at educating students in particular and the Goan populace in general
about Goa’s lesser known wildlife.
Nirmal has credited his family and team of volunteers and
interns for this achievement without whose support it would be impossible to
continue to work for over a decade.
Nirmal
was congratulated for possessing the conviction and compassion to stand up,
speak out and lead the change with his positive attitude for wildlife
conservation! The Award selection panel of iCONGO, which has selected his
nomination after thorough due diligence and said that they were glad to have
found a true champion of social justice issues in Nirmal and wish that more and
more citizens gave their time, involvement and humane feelings towards
addressing issues related to conservation and wildlife protection and being the
change and role models for other citizens to follow.
For
more details contact ophidian_nirmal@yahoo.co.in
