Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Blending Technology with Nature - Arpit Deomurari

He's an Engineer, but not in the rat race. An avid Avian researcher & taxonomist, but not a vagabond. A wildlife enthusiast, but one with a focussed vision & mission. He is Arpit.

He stands out for the fact that despite pursuing his degree in Computer Science, he did not join the herd of corporate savvy engineers. Instead he chose to wander into a different world of opportunities. 


Arpit's work profile is very interesting. He is into Biodiversity Informatics that aims to link conservation and technology through GIS (Geographical Information System) & other technological interventions. The IBIS & AVIS are platforms that aim to bridge the gap between the large amount of information available on Indian flora & fauna and its effective utilisation for educational purpose and planning & conservation.


He is a taxonomist with a keen interest in Avian Research. While all of us are busy tweeting our daily updates, he prefers listening to the real tweets, that of birds he extensively clicks & researches. He aims to spread awareness about wildlife & biodiversity among amateurs. The portal he dedicatedly works on is the AVIS. It hosts some very interesting and inspiring photography works by Arpit. And of course, the factual information on every bird is quite impressive and shows the intensive research he carries out while working on any species.


He was awarded The Carl Zeiss Award for Wildlife Conservation 2012 for his contribution to the AVIS-IBIS portals. He also received a special mention in Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Photographer of the year 2008.  

Arpit is making a quiet yet astounding strides towards conservation of the natural legacy of flora & fauna, that India is proud of. His special or I would say the 'Extra' factor is his enthusiasm for wildlife, its discovery & conservation. It reflects in his dedication towards integrating information about wildlife and helping the amateurs and common citizens to make a contribution towards its perennial sustenance. He has certainly chosen the path less taken, yet a path that defines existence of future life on this planet. He has certainly been off track (in not following the dollar dreams), but his track is one that will help in creating a footprint for future generations.


Perhaps you may have come across people like him and may think what is so uncommon about him. Well, not all of us make even one percent of contribution towards our natural surroundings as he does. And to do that he has to be away from his family for long periods of time (not to forget, his very adorable little daughter -Avi! Yes, her name is quite in sync with his passion!). However, it is his very supportive family and a very understanding wife who have made it possible for him to exert his efforts towards Mother Nature! That certainly makes him quite an 'extraordinary' from the rest of us! I am thankful to him for his dedication & great work. And of course, would like wish him good luck for his future endeavors in wildlife conservation. And hope to make a tiny bit of contribution to AVIS, if and when possible!

You can connect with Arpit & find more about his works on Facebook, LinkedIn, Website, Ornitho Note Blog & IBIS Site!