Episode Summary:This February we have the honour to meet one of India's best conservation and environmental journalists Swati Thiyagarajan. Swati delves into what makes a good documentary film, tells us more about her role in the Oscar-wining documentary My Octopus Teacher and shares the most urgent pressing issues related to biodiversity loss. We merge with her to the wild and the wilderness, to community based models of fighting the challenges of the environment and the human spirit. Swati offers a glimpse into the ecological philosophy guiding her efforts in conservation and raising awareness and encourages us to remember that we are born wild and where there is life, there is hope.Our goal is to inspire the next generation of students, researchers and professionals interested in and committed to environmental consciousness-raising. We hope our listeners are able to pause from stressful workflows, take a break from distractions, and enjoy the conversation.The Speaker:Swati Thiyagarajan is one of India’s top conservation and environmental journalists. She was the environment editor at NDTV; her show ‘Born Wild’ ran successfully for over 15 years on the channel. Swati is an associate producer and production manager of My Octopus Teacher winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards. Her book, Born Wild, chronicles her experiences in the wilds of India and Africa. Her documentary film The Animal Communicator had a theatrical release in Cape Town, where she currently works at the Sea Change Project for the conservation of the Great African Sea forest. She is a two-time winner of the Ramnath Goenka Award for excellence in environmental journalism, and the Carl Zeiss Award for her reporting on wildlife conservation.Follow Swati's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at [email protected] Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate