Ameya Kulkarni - Wild at Heart: Animal Encounters through My Lens

Wild

at

HEART

Animal Encounters through My Lens

Ameya Kulkarni

Notion Press

Old No. 38, New No. 6
McNichols Road, Chetpet
Chennai - 600 031

First Published by Notion Press 2017
Copyright Ameya Kulkarni 2017
All Rights Reserved.

eISBN 978-1-948147-95-8

This book has been published with all reasonable efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. No part of this book shall be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The Author of this book is solely responsible and liable for its content including but not limited to the views, representations, descriptions, statements, information, opinions and references [Content]. The Content of this book shall not constitute or be construed or deemed to reflect the opinion or expression of the Publisher or Editor. Neither the Publisher nor Editor endorse or approve the Content of this book or guarantee the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the Content published herein and do not make any representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose. The Publisher and Editor shall not be liable whatsoever for any errors, omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause or claims for loss or damages of any kind, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising out of use, inability to use, or about the reliability, accuracy or sufficiency of the information contained in this book.

For Kinu,
my partner in crime

Dear Photography Patrons

This book is a compilation of my many moments of experiencing a multitude of emotions in
the company of animals, from breathtaking joy at their majestic beauty to sheer anger at their
neglect in human hands. In my various travels over the last few years, I have had the wonderful
opportunity to visit many places and engage with animals, both within their natural habitat, as
well in rural and urban environments settings.

From my fairly large portfolio of animal pictures, I chose these pictures, as each one of
them had a story to tell. Some stories are overt and obvious and some are a figment of my
imagination. I have tried to capture these thoughts in this book, so that I can share these
experiences with you in a small way.

All proceeds of this book will be donated to a charity that I have supported over many years
with my photography The Smile Train. Their efforts in helping children born with a cleft
palate to have a simple, yet life-changing surgery, particularly in developing countries like India,
is extremely commendable and I am so humbled and honoured to be associated with them.

I would also like to thank my parents for their never-wavering support in helping me build new
skills.

And finally, I would like to dedicate this book to my two grandfathers. One, who gave me my
passion for photography and the other, who instilled in me the discipline to turn this passion in
something meaningful.

Hope you enjoy this book as much as I have, in putting it together!
Best wishes
Ameya

Smile Train is an international childrens charity that provides comprehensive cleft care,
including cleft surgery, to children across 85+ developing countries. Through training local
doctors and empowering partner hospitals around the world, Smile Train has aimed to
advance a sustainable solution and scalable model to treat clefts, drastically improving the
lives of impacted children, including their ability to eat, breathe and speak over time.

Thanks to a strong supporter and volunteer network, Smile Train is able to help a child in
need, every five minutes.

Cleft repair surgery costs as little as 150 and since 1999, Smile Train is proud to have been
able to perform more than one million surgeries across the world. Sadly, however, there
are over 170,000 children born each year in developing countries with clefts and in need of
urgent help.

Dear Ameya,

Thank you for your continued support in helping to raise awareness for children with
untreated clefts. Your incredible generosity is helping us change the world, one smile at a
time.

Susannah Schaefer,
CEO Smile Train

Simple rules of the Animal Kingdom to protect their young ones

This photograph took some effort to frame as the baby elephant was nestled between the
herd, under the protective watch of the mother

South Africa

South Africa

Towering
African
Elephants

South Africa

South Africa

Gracefully gliding in the misty morning

The Neelgaay, numerous in the nature reserves of India, captured on a misty morning as the
jungle awakens to a cold and wintry morning

Pench Nature Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India