Workshops and Conferences

Vijay and Varma at the International Elephant Research Symposium

A Rocha India presented a research paper on Human Elephant Conflict in and around Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore, at the International Elephant Research Symposium. The conference was organised jointly by the International Elephant Foundation and Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, USA, December 2004.

Panel discussion at Immanuel Baptist Church

Prem Mitra and Vijay Anand led a panel discussion on Mission Sunday at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Bangalore in May 2005. This panel discussion was part of the evening service on Missions Sunday. This was a first for the A Rocha India team, and an eye-opener for all participants.

Prem and Murali at SAC Youth Conference

A Rocha India was invited to conduct a workshop on 'Environment & Globalisation' at the international conference on 'Missions & Globalisation', which was held in June 2005 in Bangalore. The conference was attended by around 200 delegates from the SAARC countries, and was organised by Christian Missionary Society. An exposure visit to the Bannerghatta project site was also arranged for the delegates.

JMC workshop participants

The A Rocha India team was invited to hold a workshop at the Jayanagar Methodist Church, Bangalore in July, 2005. The topic of the workshop was Creation Care, and the enthusiastic response was very encouraging! The delegates also participated in a tree planting programme on the premises.

Earth Day 2006

Earth Day 2006 was celebrated on the 22nd April 2006 with the children of the Summer Bible School, CSI Yelahanka Church, Bangalore. As part of the celebration a rally was taken by the children in the church neighborhood, creating awareness on the importance of trees.

Vijay at CSI St. John's Church, Bangalore

Vijay D. Anand and Prem Mitra were speakers at the CSI St. Johns Church Men’s fellowship meeting held during April 2006 in Bangalore. The program was well attended and ended with a good discussion on the role of the church in environmental protection.

Prem Mitra at Bishop Cottons Womens College, Bangalore

Rev. Prem Mitra, the Chair of A Rocha India was invited to speak on environmental issues to the students and staff of the Bishop Cotton Law College, Bangalore in May 2006. This was a good opportunity for us to remind the students on their role as future lawyers to challenge environmental degradation legally.

As part of the wildlife week celebrations, the wildlife movie ‘ Hathi’ was screened on the 4th of October 2007, in association with the Young Men’s Christian Association, Bangalore. The movie ‘Hathi’ (meaning Elephant in Hindi) directed by Philippe Gautier is a movie of few words and entrancing images, where a boy ‘Makbul’ follows the footsteps of his father and grandfather going deep into the forest to learn the age- old profession of the mahout. The celebrations continued with the A Rocha team and the students of Christ Academy School participating in a rally organised by the Karnataka Forest Department at the Bannerghatta National park on the theme ‘Elephant and Electrocution’.

Children participating in the 'save the elephant rally'

Children at a rally to save elephants

The HSBC, Bangalore as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme organised the “Helping Hands Mela’ in November at their premises in Bangalore. Several Non-profit organisations across the state of Karnataka were invited to exhibit and present their programs. The weeklong mela brought in a few spot memberships and was indeed an opportunity for A Rocha to sensitize the Corporate in conservation.

A Rocha at the HSBC CSR program

Policemen at the A Rocha workshop on wildlife trade

A Rocha training program at the Karnataka State Police Training School, Chennapatna. A one-day workshop for 490 trainee Police constables was conducted by the A Rocha India team at Chennapatna in December. The program was a result of a decade of association between Dr. Vijay .D. Anand, National Director of A Rocha India and Mr. B. K. Nazir Ahmed, Principal of the Institute, who worked together on issues pertaining to wildlife trade. The workshop included two presentations on ‘Save Environment, Save your Future’ and ‘Wildlife Protection Act, 1972’ which instigated a vibrant discussion and feedback from the trainees. The trainees also led to a nature walk within their beautifully landscaped campus of 160 acres to instill in them a love for Nature. The nature walk ended with several useful discussions with the trainees, who would also be visiting the A Rocha Field Study Centre. This program indeed has brought great joy to the A Rocha team, training a generation who indeed are tomorrow’s guardians of the country.