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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 10:48:41 pm

A tiny scorpion, a giant achievement

Badlapur’s Sitaram Raul wins global photography honour Badlapur: A photograph capturing a scorpion digging into desert sand to create a shelter has earned Badlapur-based wildlife photographer Sitaram Dinkar Raul international recognition. Raul won the ‘Invertebrate Behaviour’ category at the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition, organised by London’s Natural History Museum. He was honoured at a ceremony in London on October 13, where he also delivered his...

A tiny scorpion, a giant achievement

Badlapur’s Sitaram Raul wins global photography honour Badlapur: A photograph capturing a scorpion digging into desert sand to create a shelter has earned Badlapur-based wildlife photographer Sitaram Dinkar Raul international recognition. Raul won the ‘Invertebrate Behaviour’ category at the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition, organised by London’s Natural History Museum. He was honoured at a ceremony in London on October 13, where he also delivered his acceptance speech in Marathi, taking his mother tongue to an international platform. The competition received more than 65,000 photographs from 121 countries. Raul’s achievement came through a photograph of a Buthacus species scorpion digging into the sand to create a shelter in the Rajasthan desert. Raul’s journey began in Badlapur in 2012, when his involvement in wildlife rescue operations gradually developed into a passion for photography. While rescuing wild animals and releasing them into their natural habitats, he felt the need to document these encounters through photographs. This prompted him to take up photography, which eventually became a dedicated pursuit. As his interest in wildlife photography grew, Raul began studying the work of established photographers to understand international photography techniques and the finer details of capturing an effective image. He focused on identifying mistakes in his own work and improving his skills through consistent practice. He had been following the Natural History Museum’s international competition for several years. After gaining confidence in his work over the preceding five years, he decided to participate. However, his primary objective was not simply to win an award, but to have his photographs displayed at the prestigious competition and viewed by people across the world. The photograph that brought Raul international recognition was captured during a visit to the Rajasthan desert, where he had gone to photograph the stars. While setting up his camera, he spotted a Buthacus species scorpion in the light of a torch. The scorpion was digging into the sand to create a shelter. Capturing the scorpion’s behaviour clearly proved challenging. Although his initial photographs were turning out well, they did not adequately convey the action he wanted to document. Raul then experimented with an off-camera flash, adjusted the direction of the light and tried different techniques. After several attempts, he successfully captured the moment when the scorpion was digging into the sand. The photograph eventually won him the international award. Raul also credits artist Suresh Bhosale with playing an important role in his artistic development. According to Raul, Bhosale taught him painting, which significantly benefited his fine-art photography. Studying painting helped him develop a different perspective when observing a scene, improve his observation skills and cultivate an interest in art history. He said these skills proved valuable in his photographic work. His experience with macro photography, the use of different types of flashes in forest settings and experimentation with lighting also contributed to his development. His journey reinforced the importance of combining technical skills with a thorough understanding of the subject and careful observation of wildlife behaviour. Raul expressed gratitude to his parents for their support and acknowledged the encouragement he received from his friends in Badlapur. He also described Bhosale as his mentor, crediting him with helping shape his artistic vision. Beyond the award-winning photograph, Raul’s decision to deliver his acceptance speech in Marathi became a distinctive moment in his journey. While studying previous award ceremonies, he observed that many photographers delivered their speeches in English. He decided that if he ever reached the international stage, he would give prominence to his own language. At the award ceremony in London, Raul fulfilled that intention by expressing his thoughts in Marathi. His decision allowed him to celebrate his achievement while preserving the identity and pride associated with his mother tongue. Raul’s success marks a significant milestone in a journey that began with wildlife rescue operations in Badlapur in 2012. What started as an effort to document wildlife encounters eventually led him to victory in an international photography competition. From observing a scorpion in the Rajasthan desert to receiving an honour in London, his journey reflects his dedication to wildlife photography, patience, artistic development and commitment to his craft. By choosing to speak in Marathi on the international stage, he also maintained a strong connection to his roots.

Clever seat selection helped BJP to secure historic win

Writer: Ruddhi Phadke
Ruddhi Phadke
Nov 29, 2024
2 min read

The party won 65 seats against Congress, 37 against NCP (SP) and 29 against Shiv Sena (UBT)

Clever seat selection

Mumbai: The BJP’s strategic seat sharing with the allies has proved beneficial for the party. An analysis of the Assembly election results show that the BJP has scored over its main rival, the Congress, in a big way because of the direct fights.


The analysis shows that BJP defeated all three constituents of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) – in the direct fights. This is attributed as one of the reasons for the BJP’s historic poll success.


The BJP contested 147 out of 288 seats. In 76 constituencies, it faced Congress. BJP secured victory in 65 seats and lost only 11 seats, making it a whopping 86 per cent of the total direct fights. This was followed by an even stronger performance against NCP (SP). Of the total 39 fights with Sharad Pawar’s party, BJP captured 37 seats making it 95 per cent of the total fights with NCP (SP). BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) were head-to-head in 32 constituencies, of which BJP emerged victorious in 29 seats, making this 91 per cent of the total direct contests.


According to a BJP strategist the party had bargained hard with its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP to get the desired constituencies in the seat sharing formula. “We had studied to potential candidates of the MVA. That helped us in choosing the seats where we can register comfortable victories,” the strategist said.


BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty attributed the success to all the party workers who worked hard to boost development, infrastructure in the state. He gave credit to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his contribution to the party’s success.


Shetty pointed out that in 2019, Uddhav Thackeray had stalled all the “novel” and “legendary” projects that Fadnavis had started when he had taken over as CM, making it very easy for the people of Maharashtra to strike a comparison between both the leaders and the potential they had for serving the people. “Devendra Fadnavis gave up his post very easily for the larger good. There are many such examples like Venkaiah Naidu who was BJP National President and later worked as the Vice President of India because that was the need of the hour. We seldom care about our posts,” Shetty told The Perfect Voice.


Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe refused to call the election results as the people’s mandate. “This is not at all a Janata mandate. Despite Maharashtra struggling with so many basic social issues, how can BJP acquire such a huge mandate is the question. If a student copies and fails with just passing marks, it can go unnoticed, but if a student copies and bags the number one position, something is fishy. Why is the BJP scared of ballot papers?” he said.

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