Mumbai-based cardiac surgeon shortlisted for BBC Earth photo contest

Mumbai: Dr Ramakanta Panda, a Mumbai-based leading cardiac surgeon, has been shortlisted for the Sony-BBC Earth Photography Contest-2022.

"It's a privilege to be shortlisted for the award. Photography has always been a stress-buster for me," said the head of the Asian Heart Institute (AHI). He pursues photography as a passionate hobby and has been to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa for wildlife photography. He is fascinated by everything from birds to reptiles.

This year's contest theme was 'Thrill of Life' and photographers from across the world were invited to send their entries in categories like landscape, adventure, and wildlife. The voting for the finalists started last week.

Dr Panda is also a philanthropist in the wildlife sector. He had announced setting up an eco-friendly holiday resort for tourists and the proceedings will benefit around 2,000 poor forest workers in the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh. His other such initiatives in the Kanha National Park and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary have benefited thousands of forest workers.

He is also preparing for an exhibition at the Nehru Centre in London in July 2023.