A Journey of Passion, Purpose, and Impact

A Journey of Passion, Purpose and Impact

When a passion of a child discovers its true calling, parents become steadfast roots, quietly nurturing the journey of dreams.

This sentiment underpins the journey of Amoghavarsha, a Grade XI student of National Public School ITPL whose passion for wildlife photography and environmental advocacy organically grew into a transformative journey. It is with pride we share that our natural crusader, Amoghavarsha was selected as one of the top 25 students out of over 100 participants to showcase the Youth Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the prestigious 1M1B Activate Impact Summit at the United Nations. 1M1B is a social innovation and future skills initiative aligned with the United Nations SDGs, aimed at empowering youth to share their narratives and missions to address critical global issues.

Amoghavarsha’s journey began in the heart of India’s biodiversity-rich Kudremukh National Park, where his early exposure to nature culminated into him developing a lifelong passion for wildlife conservation. He drew inspiration from the lap of Kudremukh’s lush forests, rolling hills, and diverse flora and fauna and thought of giving it back in a pertinent form that a citizen can-preserving and protecting the biodiversity. And before he realized, what was started as a hobby soon evolved into a deeper exploration of the world around him, fuelled by an increasing awareness of the fragile state of India’s ecosystems, particularly in the Western Ghats.

As he traversed the Western Ghats, Amoghavarsha’s keen lens observed the patterns of ecological decline and the impact of human activity on these natural habitats. The apparent rapid deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and degradation of ecosystems ignited his desire to take action, not just as a photographer, but further inspire the ones around as a storyteller. Amoghavarsha’s journey as a wildlife photographer quickly converted into a mission to raise awareness about conservation issues starting from the residents of the Western Ghats who were oblivious to their impactful roles in protecting their abode.

This heightened awareness and passion gave birth to Moghi’s Tales, a project that combining the art of storytelling with photography keeping biodiversity conservation at its centre stage. Through its adventures of explorations across India’s diverse ecosystems, Moghi’s lens has not only touched on themes of environmental stewardship, the challenges of habitat destruction, and the importance of sustaining nature for future generations, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals but also raised the call to action with the locals across generations.

The documentaries and films showcased to the residents of the Western Ghats is a true reflection of Amoghavarsha’s narrative, inspiring to connect with nature and understand their role in its preservation. One can weave passion to leave an impact to the pressing issues, emphasizing the need for a collaborative approach to conservation, one that involves local communities, authorities and young ambassadors alike.

The impact of Moghi’s Tales goes beyond raising awareness—it inspires action. The sustainability steward actively engages with village adults, helping them understand their crucial role in preserving the surrounding nature, of which many are unaware. He also enthuses the schoolchildren through storytelling sessions, where he urges them to comprehend their role and responsibility to take ownership of their environment. The well-articulated endeavour has definitely left pugmarks for many such active participants to follow the path of global movement for sustainable development and environmental conservation.

The 8th edition of the 1M1B Activate Impact Summit at the United Nation gave Amoghavarsha the opportunity to present a 1-minute pitch to a global audience, showcasing the work of his commitment as a changemaker committed to advancing the SDGs. The focus panned out the importance of ecosystem dialogue and scaling impactful conservation projects over and above the localized efforts. He emphasized the need to involve communities and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds in conservation efforts and stressed that the success of these projects depends on their ability to create lasting change on a larger geographical scale.

The 1M1B Activate Impact Summit provided a platform to the nature advocate to not only present Moghi’s Tales but also to engage with like-minded individuals and organizations that share his vision for a sustainable future. His pitch was not just a call to action for conservation but a plea at a macro level for youth involvement in the protection of our planet. By showcasing the real-world impact of his work, at the Summit, it further solidified his role as a youth leader in the global effort to address pertinent issue around conservation of biodiversity.

In preparation for the Summit, Amoghavarsha followed the 3-2-1 pitch process, a method designed that helps one effectively communicate to a diverse and global audience. The 3-minute pitch ensured the capture of the essence of his project, explaining the importance of biodiversity conservation at the 1M1B, the inspiration behind Moghi’s Tales. The 2-minute “rocket” pitch condensed the core message of all the work, highlighting the urgency of addressing ecological decline and the role of youth in spearheading. Finally, the 1-minute “bullseye” pitch delivered a concise, sharp message focused on the immediate need for action and the collaborative efforts required to protect the environment.

Each stage of the pitch process helped Amoghavarsha communicate his vision more clearly, enabling him to articulate his message to the audience and inspire them to take action. The pitches were a testament to the power of storytelling and the impact that one individual can have, even when 16 to make oneself heard on a global platform.

Such opportunities reinforce the belief in the power of youth-led, creating a platform for young people to infer and perceive their surroundings to become the persuasive change agents for years to come.

Resources alone is not the key to unlocking identity and passion; it is the drive to give them purpose and direction along with the unwavering support and encouragement of parents that truly empower an individual to pursue their passion and dreams and one such work that truly exemplifies the power of passion, purpose, and impact is Moghi’s Tales, inspiring self and the others to play a part in being a global advocate for biodiversity conservation by seamlessly blending art, advocacy, and education, protecting India’s natural heritage. 

These kinds of stories serve as a reminder that when passion meets purpose, it has the power to create lasting impact on the world-much like a passionate photographer who changes the lens to adjust the composition, finds the right angle ,and optimizes lighting to capture the most stunning perspectives.