K.N. Mahesha

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K.N. Mahesha is a trained naturalist, who
previously studied commerce. He and his father are cultivators in Kunagahalli village. When he took the photographs for this essay,
he was working with a local non-governmental organisation
 
 
 to remove invasive weeds from the Bandipur National Park.
 
 His photo essay is part of a larger collaborative photography
project about living with wildlife, and the fourth in a series of six on PARI.  “When I was
given the camera, at first I didn't know what to click and I was very shy about
taking pictures,” Mahesha, 27, says. “Then I started clicking anything that I
found new and interesting. I liked this project a lot; through it, we see
what is happening in the villages.”

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This work was facilitated by Jared Margulies, in coordination with the Mariamma Charitable Trust, located in Mangala village, Karnataka. It was made possible with the support of a 2015-2016 Fulbright Nehru Student Research Grant, a Graduate Student Association Research Grant from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in-kind support from the Mariamma Charitable Trust, and above all, the participation, enthusiasm and efforts of the photographers themselves. B.R. Rajeev’s help in the translation of the text was invaluable, too. All copyrights for the photo are held by the photographers alone in accordance with PARI’s Creative Commons policies. Any questions about their use or reproduction should be directed to PARI.Related stories:<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/when-jayamma-spotted-the-leopard">When Jayamma spotted the leopard</a> <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/we-have-hills-and-forests-and-we-live-here/">‘We have hills and forests and we live here’</a> <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/home-with-the-harvest-in-bandipur/">Home with the harvest in Bandipur</a> <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/that-is-where-the-leopard-and-tiger-attack/">'That is where the leopard and tiger attack'</a> <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/this-calf-went-missing-after-i-took-this-photo">'This calf went missing after I took this photo'</a>

Close encounters with the Prince of Bandipur

বান্দিপুরের রাজপুত্তুরের মুখোমুখি

बांदीपुर के प्रिंस का सामना

باندی پور کے پرنس سے قریبی سامنا

बंडीपूरचा प्रिन्स जेव्हा समोर उभा ठाकतो

ବାନ୍ଦିପୁର ରାଜକୁମାରଙ୍କ ସହ ମୁହାଁମୁହିଁ

বন্দিপুৰৰ ৰাজকুমাৰৰ সৈতে মুখামুখি

Kunagahalli

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Close encounters with the Prince of Bandipur

K.N. Mahesha, a naturalist and cultivator who lives close to Bandipur National Park, brings images of fighting bulls, sensitive cows, work elephants and raptors, in this fourth photo essay in a series of six on PARI

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