29 January 2019
Hyderabad
Upasana Kamineni Konidela in association with WWF flew to Rajasthan from Hyderabad for the initiative 'Save India's Big Cats' with 12 girls who are wildlife enthusiasts and won their way into this exploratory initiative. After spending an eventful day unwinding with some yoga, a bbq session, song and dance, they began their day 2 with an early morning safari to the the Ranthambore National Park, one of the most renowned national parks and tiger reserves, to spot tigers, deer, bears, boars and other wild animals. The girls were prepped to be vigilant and measures were taken to ensure their safety through the day.
After the safari, the team paid a visit to the medical camps organised by Apollo Foundation for the forest guards, another initiative led by Ms. Upasana Kamineni Konidela, as their health is often neglected due to lack of medical clinics in close proximity. The girls got a chance to interact with the guards and get first hand knowledge of how they help protect the tigers, which was quite insightful for the initiative at hand.
Safari to the jungle is a task of patience, you have to lay and await a glimpse of the wild animals. So the students had a second safari in the afternoon where they successfully spotted 2 tigers. This called for a wrap and the team sat down with a typical Rajasthani thali to relish, a Rajasthani cultural show to enjoy, followed by a presentation from the WWF team, summarizing the excursion and scaling their attempts for the initiative 'Save India's Big Cats'.
The next day, day 3, the girls and Ms. Upasana Kamineni Konidela, traveled back to Jaipur and had a tour of the City Palace of Jaipur. They had an interactive and knowledgeable tour, understanding and learning about the history of the palace and the rulers. This was followed by a royal lunch, after which, Ms. Upasana and the students met with the Princess of Jaipur, Diya Kumari.
They had an interactive session with the Princess, understanding the culture of Rajasthan and the problems faced by the people. This marked the end of the trip and the 12 girls and Ms. Upasana flew back to Hyderbad.
