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Having joined Punjab police as an inspector in 1988,Mandeep Singh Sidhu played an integral role in combating terrorism and went on to win the President’s award and Chief Minister’s medal for outstanding devotion to duty.

Mandeep Singh Sidhu explores the wild side of life

Having joined Punjab police as an inspector in 1988,Mandeep Singh Sidhu played an integral role in combating terrorism and went on to win the President’s award and Chief Minister’s medal for outstanding devotion to duty. Now a commandant at the 1st Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Patiala,he never thought that he would be able to pursue his love for photography,until now,when he has managed to establish the Wild Life Photography Club,that was registered earlier this week.

“Poaching and depletion of the forest cover is taking a toll on the endangered species. We hope to make people aware of their responsibility to save them,” says Sidhu,who will also be organising trips to wildlife reserves to photograph animals and learn about different cultures. “In Kenya,I met people from the Masai Mara,who drink cow’s blood mixed with milk for strength,” recalls Sidhu,who is planning a photography trip to Kaziranga National Park in Assam,later this year.

The 45-year-old seriously got initiated into photography six years ago,when he was on a vacation to Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve,where he got an opportunity to shoot a tiger when it was hunting for its prey. “The beauty of capturing the moment in frame was timeless,” says Sidhu,flipping through his photographs taken in the jungles of India and abroad,including Punjab,Madhya Pradesh,Kerala and Kenya. “There are no retakes and posing,” says Sidhu,who had a close encounter with a tiger when it attacked an elephant that Sidhu was riding on,in order to click the photographs of another tiger. “It turned out to be one of my best photographs,” says he.Working on a coffee-table book on wildlife,Sidhu is also chalking the itinerary of his trips. Those interested can contact him on cop11ms@gmail.com.

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