GUWAHATI, May 31 - Members of Women�s Hub, a body of woman professionals today felicitated environmentalist Purnima Devi Barman for bagging the prestigious Whitely Award, also known as the Green Oscar, for her efforts in conserving greater adjutant storks.
Barman had received the award on May 18 from Princess Royal Anne, who is the patron of the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
The members of Women�s Hub met her at her Guwahati residence and congratulated her and tried to learn about her work. Barman shared her experiences at the award function and thereafter.
�I was awestruck by the clothes woven by the women of her group which had the symbol of the greater adjutant storks in it. It�s inspiring to meet such a woman who believes that conservation is a part of our Assamese tradition,� journalist Teresa Rehman said.
Barman has been working with the women of Dadara, Pachariya and Singimari villages of Kamrup district to save the greater adjutant stork, locally known as hargila, in Assam. Barman is now a role model for community conservation and is popularly known as �Hargila Baideo�.
Filmmaker Tinat Atifa Masood said, �I had much to learn from the humble and earthy nature of Purnima Devi Barman when we went to felicitate her. A woman who ideates innovatively when it comes to conservation, the Whitely Award is truly befitting for her. We wish more awards to come her way.�
Conservation of the hargila is impossible without the cooperation of the local people who own the trees where the bird builds its nests. Salma Hussain, a human rights activist says, �She is a role model for young students like us. We have a lot to learn from her.�
