Wild Wild Best: Congressman Mukul Wasnik says he turns his attention to wildlife when he needs peace and balance in life

Wasnik and his old pal, former Maharashtra minister Suresh Shetty (right), also a wildlife photographer. Pics/Dharmendra Jore

When not politicking, Mukul Wasnik picks up his camera and ventures into the wild, hoping to capture wildlife's best moments. A senior member of the all-India Congress's Steering Committee and former Union minister, Wasnik opened his maiden exhibition at the iconic Jehangir Art Gallery on Friday.

Unlike some acclaimed personalities who experimented with lenses before becoming full-time politicians, wildlife photography happened to Wasnik just about six years ago. "What began as a hobby has turned into a passion. It relaxes me," he tells mid-day at the exhibition.

Clad in a grey cotton shirt and trousers, he welcomes guests, young and veteran, and friends across parties. He interacts with them, especially the young, narrating the experience of grabbing a particular picture. His gracious wife Raveena, in a milk-white suit, plays a perfect host while her husband is busy with visitors. Wasnik mentions that MP Supriya Sule was there a little while ago.

Scaling hurdles for passion

"Let's see this snow partridge. Of all the pictures you see here today, capturing this bird on was most challenging," Wasnik says as he leads our attention to a corner. "This bird is found only in snowy mountains. I was in Chandrashila in Uttarakhand in 2018, and guide just said, ‘let's go'. It turned out to be a strenuous four-hour trek, up at the height of 3,600 metres, where we got to see this beauty," recalls Wasnik, who was knocking the 60s when he successfully met the challenge in the Himalayas. He completed 63 years last month.

Senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik narrates his experience of photographing a snow partridge at a height of 3,600 metres in Uttarakhand. His wildlife photography exhibition opened at the Jehangir Art Gallery, on Friday

He says he has been lucky at times. "Capturing this long-eared owl. It rarely happens. Not only did I sight the bird, but I also photographed it," he says about the experience in Churu, Rajasthan, where climate is extreme in the winters as well as the summers. "Wildlife photography throws physical challenges at you, but it gives you mental peace when look at the pictures you have taken. Sometimes you make mistakes, but then you learn from them and improve," he says as we ask him about his initial attempts.

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The inspiration

He says it was six years ago when he accompanied his sister, brother-in-law and their children to Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Vidarbha. "All of a sudden, three tigers surrounded our jeep and were at an attacking distance. We were all scared. My brother-in-law demanded we pull the shields up and move out, but I was mesmerised by the beautiful animals. We just stayed there - statue-like, breathless and yet enjoying the sight."

Wasnik says before the ‘tiger-scare' incident, he had visited Tadoba-Andhari National Park many times, but returned disappointed because he would carry a small camera that hardly captured objects he focused on. "I would see people carrying big cameras, lenses and other paraphernalia necessary for photography. They inspired me to take up wildlife photography. But then, I needed basic training…"

So, one of the busiest national general secretaries of the Congress and Rajya Sabha MP enrolled for the tutorials of one of India's foremost wildlife photographers, Rathika Ramasamy. "But I couldn't attend her classes. Rathika was kind enough to teach me at my residence whenever I could find the time."

For peace

"Why wildlife?' we ask him. "As I said, it gives me peace. It is also because we need to create awareness about protecting and preserving wildlife. Have you heard about the great Indian bustard, an endangered bird," he asks, as we mention the Nanaj sanctuary in Maharashtra that's dedicated to the preservation of this avian.

He then leads us to the pictures of a variety of vultures, rueing that the birds that were in abundance in his childhood are not seen anymore. However, he thanks the wildlife protection acts that were legislated during the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's regime. "Imagine what would be the situation today if these laws were not there as a deterrent," the leader asks.

Does he see awareness spreading throughout the populace? "Yes, for sure," he says, adding, "If it is not our generation, generation Z is more aware about and kind towards wildlife. I'm glad to see young people visiting the exhibition and asking me questions."

He shares that it was his dream to hold the first show at the iconic Jehangir Art Gallery. "I got dates earlier as well, but the show had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. For this one, the behind-the- scenes performance has been extremely hectic. Sending pictures from Delhi and getting them printed and mounted here in Mumbai was a task in itself. The exhibition management is being handled by my friends here."

Friends by his side

One of Wasnik's friends from his days of student politics, Suresh Shetty, who is also the former Maharashtra health minister, will stay by the leader's side until October 31, the closing day of exhibition. Incidentally, Shetty is also a wildlife photographer who began early in his college days, but slowed down later because of political assignments. "Mukul bhai has inspired me a lot in the past couple of years. I have reinvented my wildlife photography skills," Shetty says, promising us a solo exhibition at the same venue as early as possible.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's vice-president Vitthalrao Lokhandkar, who considers Wasnik his political guru, was also overseeing the exhibition. "I will be there until the end. The exhibition has nothing to do with politics," he tells us, adding that Wasnik has invited MNS chief Raj Thackeray and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, an acclaimed photographer himself, as well.

31 Oct
Last day of his exhibition