In the early 1970s, the Madras Snake Park, located close to the IIT Madras campus, became a local hang-out for a certain breed of student from nearby campuses like the IIT-M, AC College of Architecture, and the Madras Christian College who could not bear the drudgery of an Indian college education. Satish Bhaskar, then an engineering student at the IIT-M, was one of these characters. He spent most of his free time at the Madras Snake Park and became close friends with Romulus "Rom" Whitaker, the American-born herpetologist and conservationist. In Whitaker's words, Bhaskar was "a quietly intense young man (...) whose passion was jogging several kilometres each morning to Elliot's Beach to have a swim in the ocean".
"Satish really kick-started interest in sea turtle conservation."Rom Whitaker, in a tribute to Satish Bhaskar for Current Conservation
Equally athletic and charismatic, Bhaskar was something of a maverick. Starting with the limited resources Whitaker provided him, he embarked on an epic journey along India's expansive coastlines and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the late 1970s, and uncovered the vital nesting beaches of the sea turtles. During his death-defying expeditions to the islands in the 1980s and 90s, he unraveled many mysteries surrounding these enigmatic ocean creatures and set out to save them from extinction. After the devastating tsunami of 2004 — one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history — Bhaskar grappled with a pressing question: What happens to sea turtles when their nesting beaches disappear?
Now, a new documentary film from Taira Malaney sheds light on Satish Bhaskar's fascinating life and career. 'Turtle Walker', Malaney's directorial debut, tells the story of Bhaskar — a pioneer in the field of sea turtle conservation — from his early trips to India's remote islands to his life-long pursuit of protecting these beautiful endangered animals. A sentimental portrait of the man and the magnificent marine creatures that he loved so much, the film unfolds through dramatised recreations of Bhaskar's early expeditions, extraordinary and revelatory footage of the sea turtles in key moments of their lives and footage of Bhaskar's final return to South Reef Island in the Indian Ocean.
The film, which started off as a small independent project in Goa, India, has over the last 7 years evolved into an international co-production with award-winning partners and collaborators from across the world such as Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's Tiger Baby Films and Oscar-winning HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, the production house behind 2022's Oscar-nominated 'All That Breathes'.
"Satish Bhaskar shared a deep wonder for the marine world. As human beings we all have this innate curiosity to explore. It is what leads us to inquire, to learn, to experience a sense of awe, and eventually feel empathy for the living world around us. By presenting Satish's story on a global stage, we aim to inspire meaningful dialogue about our shared oceans, mobilising audiences to participate in its exploration and conservation."Taira Malaney, filmmaker and founder of Emaho films
Turtle Walker was recently awarded the 'Conservation' and 'Grand Teton' awards at the Jackson Wild Media Awards. The highest honour in the community, the awards are popularly known as being the Oscars of nature and conservation filmmaking.
Learn more about the film here.
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