To take a walk down the corridors of reminiscence, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) celebrated its first Alumni meet on 21st and 22nd August, 2014. The meet was organized in chorus with the Annual Research Seminar and was graced by over 350 dignitaries from various parts of the country. Conservation peers of the country were present for this august gathering and some prominent of them included Shri H.S. Panwar, Shri Vinod Rishi, Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh, Dr. H.S. Pabla, Dr. Ravi Chellam, Dr. N.V.K. Ashraf, Dr. M.K. Padalia, Dr. G.C. Bhimani, Dr. Yashveer Bhatnagar, Dr. M.D. Madhusudan, Dr. Shomita Mukherjee, Dr. Diwakar Sharma, Dr. Kavita Ishwaran, Dr. Suhel Qader, Dr. Pranav Trivedi and many others.
 Dr. V.B. Mathur, Director WII, addressing the Alumni Meet. |  Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh, former Dean WII, addressing the Alumni Meet. |  Dr. N.V.K. Ashraf, 1st M.Sc. batch, addressing the Alumni Meet. |
Group photo of the Alumni members
The inaugural session was nostalgic where most of the speakers recalled their past days in the campus and their attachments with WII. Director, Dr. V.B. Mathur extended a warm, cordial welcome to all the guests present on the occasion and emphasized the need for strengthening the linkages between the Alumni and the Institute for better addressing the conservation challenges of the country.
The second day started with a brainstorming discussion amongst the Alumni on the imperativeness of forming an Association. The members unequivocally voted for an Alumni Association, which could emerge as a strong body in future supporting WII in diverse areas of conservation and academics. The afternoon session was enthralling where ‘conservation talks’ by the Alumni educated the gathering on diverse aspects ranging from conservation history, citizen science, conservation education, debates and debacles and conservation success stories.
The second day started with a brainstorming discussion amongst the Alumni on the imperativeness of forming an Association. The members unequivocally voted for an Alumni Association, which could emerge as a strong body in future supporting WII in diverse areas of conservation and academics. The afternoon session was enthralling where ‘conservation talks’ by the Alumni educated the gathering on diverse aspects ranging from conservation history, citizen science, conservation education, debates and debacles and conservation success stories.
 Leonine tales and other stories - Talk by Dr. Ravi Chellam |  Dr. Kavita Ishwaran being felicitated by current M.Sc student Pallavi after her talk - Animal behaviour in a changing world |
The evening was illuminated with “Jashn-e-Bahara," a cultural program organized by the current students of WII. Overall, while the meet was homecoming for many Alumni, it was a good learning for the new generation researchers at WII aiming to contribute Conservation Science.
Inauguration of the cultural program by Padma Bhusan Shri H.S. Panwar, Founder Director, Wildlife Institute of India
 Fusion music  Garba, Gujarati dance  Traditional Garhwali Dance |  Bihu, Assamese traditional dance form  Bhangra, traditional Punjabi dance  Trends in Ecology - a skit presented by the current M.Sc batch |
Bulletin of the Wildlife Institute of India (BWII) also took advantage of this meet of galaxies. Editors, Sitendu, Indranil and Kausik, discussed the idea of BWII with many Alumni and responses were positive. Being encouraged by such interactions, BWII now plans to come up with interviews of some of WII’s Alumni during the coming weeks. BWII strongly believes that such interviews would be of great lesson for upcoming generations of wildlife biologists at WII by familiarizing them with what their predecessors opine on conservation. Therefore, please keep an eye on our blog “Nature Kaleidoscope” for the next few weeks to experience many untold stories of our Alumni.
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