Sangita Iyer

{{short description|Indian-born Canadian wildlife activist, journalist, biologist and filmmaker}}

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{{Infobox person

| name = Sangita Iyer

| birth_date = Sangita Iyer

| birth_place = Kerala, India

| nationality = Canadian

| citizenship = Canadian

| image = LowerRez.jpg

| education =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Author, Wildlife Filmmaker, Broadcast Journalist, and Biologist

| known_for =

| spouse =

| relatives =

| website = {{url|https://www.vfaes.org/more-about-sangita}}

}}

Sangita Iyer is an Indian-born Canadian author, broadcast journalist, writer, biologist and documentary filmmaker.{{Cite news|title=Interview {{!}} Canada-based Sangita Iyer was inspired to participate in Kerala Women's Wall campaign in support of women's rights|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/dec/28/from-canadafor-the-wall-1917495.html|access-date=2022-11-15|newspaper=The New Indian Express|first=Dhinesh|last=Kallungal|date=28 December 2018}} She is known for her advocacy on wildlife conservation, especially for wild elephants, and for exposing the atrocities against Asian elephants by religious institutions. She is the founding executive director and president of the [https://www.vfaes.org/ Voice for Asian Elephants Society], which was created in 2016 with the aim of protecting wild and captive elephants of India.

Iyer's debut documentary film, Gods in Shackles, was based on the treatment of captive elephants in Kerala. The film was nominated for portraying the torture stories of captive elephants in the name of festivals at the United Nations General Assembly, featured at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and has received over a dozen international film festival awards.{{Cite web|last=Ramnath|first=Nandini|title=Documentary 'Gods in Shackles' on temple elephants is an eye-opener|url=https://scroll.in/reel/811893/documentary-gods-in-shackles-on-temple-elephants-is-an-eye-opener|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Scroll.in|date=16 July 2016 |language=en-US}}{{Cite news|last=Gavin Haines|first=Travel writer|title=New documentary exposes brutal treatment of India's temple elephants|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/articles/new-documentary-exposes-abuse-of-indias-sacred-elephants/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=The Telegraph|date=5 July 2016 |language=en-GB}} The documentary was inspired by the encounters and witnesses gathered by Iyer.{{Cite news|last=Poorvaja|first=S.|date=2016-07-21|title=Highlighting the plight of Kerala's captive elephants|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/Highlighting-the-plight-of-Kerala%E2%80%99s-captive-elephants/article14499662.ece|access-date=2020-09-07|issn=0971-751X}} Here recently released book, Gods in Shackles - What Elephants Can Teach us About Empathy, Resilience and Freedom ranked the #1 Best Seller list on Amazon, since its release on February 8, 2022. She is also a National Geographic explorer,{{cite web |title=Sangita Iyer |url=https://explorers.nationalgeographic.org/directory/sangita-iyer}} and has produced a 26-part short documentary series about Asian elephants, using the National Geographic Society storytelling award.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/sangita-iyer-docu-series-on-elephants-nat-geo-world-elephant-day/article35834030.ece?homepage=true|title=Sangita Iyer's 26-part docu-series 'Asian Elephants 101' will be telecast on World Elephant Day|newspaper=The Hindu|date=10 August 2021|last1=Nagarajan|first1=Saraswathy}}

Biography

Sangita Iyer was born in Kerala, India. She has worked in Kenya, where she taught biology and ecology to Nairobi high school students in the early 1980s, and in Bermuda as the primetime news anchor and nature and wildlife reporter for the ABC/CBS affiliate, the Bermuda Broadcasting Company. She currently lives in Toronto, Canada, where she has served as a videographer and host for Rogers TV network.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Career

Iyer pursued her career in journalism in 1999 as a health and environmental journalist. She completed her MA degree in environmental education and communication in 2012.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-31 |title=Elephants, Women and Subjugation by Sangita Iyer - Creations Magazine |url=https://www.creationsmagazine.com/2022/03/31/elephants-women-and-subjugation-by-sangita-iyer/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |language=en-US}} She produced reports related to nature and wildlife for Discovery Channel science-news programme Daily Planet.{{Cite web |last=advocate |first=contributing animal |date=2022-12-13 |title=Sangita Iyer, B.Sc. M.A. EEC, PGD Journalism |url=https://www.animaldefensepartnership.org/sangita-iyer-b-sc-m-a-eec-pgd-journalism/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Animal Defense Partnership |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Sangita Iyer Biography {{!}} Booking Info for Speaking Engagements |url=https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/celebritytalentbios/Sangita+Iyer/459761 |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=www.allamericanspeakers.com}} She co-founded the Bermuda Environmental Alliance in 2009 and she founded the Voice for Asian Elephants Society in 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2020/nov/08/is-filmmaker-sangita-iyer-the-answer-to-the-brutal-treatment-of-indias-temple-elephants-2219871.html|title = Is filmmaker Sangita Iyer the answer to the brutal treatment of India's temple elephants?|first=Ayesha|last=Singh|date=8 November 2020|accessdate=10 September 2020}}

In 2013, Iyer began to document the elephants in Kerala that are exploited by religious institutions, and created the documentary film Gods in Shackles (2016) which portrays the suffering faced by the temple elephants during cultural festivals.{{Cite news|date=2020-09-06|title=The woman trying to save India's tortured temple elephants|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54026294|access-date=2020-09-07}}{{Cite web|date=July 20, 2016|title=Gods in shackles: Plight of temple elephants|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Gods-in-shackles-Plight-of-temple-elephants/articleshow/53298377.cms|access-date=2020-09-07|website=The Times of India|language=en}} She decided to make the film after witnessing the torture faced by the elephants during a trip to India in December 2013.{{Cite web|date=2014-01-07|title=Seeing the Mistreatment of Elephants in India Was Haunting|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sangita-iyer/animal-cruelty-elephants_b_4536577.html|access-date=2020-09-07|website=HuffPost Canada|language=en}} The documentary opened to positive reviews from critics and won international awards.{{Cite news|last=Naha|first=Abdul Latheef|date=2019-01-17|title=A moving work on gods in shackles|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/a-moving-work-on-gods-in-shackles/article26016797.ece|access-date=2020-09-07|issn=0971-751X}} Iyer is the first woman to have made a documentary about captive elephants in Kerala.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}{{relevance inline|date=December 2020}}

Iyer received the 2016 Nari Shakti Puraskar award from the then Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.{{Cite web|date=2017-03-09|title=Nari Shakti Puruskar Awardees: Full List|url=https://www.bestcurrentaffairs.com/nari-shakti-puruskar-awardees-full-list/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Best Current Affairs|language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=More about Sangita |url=https://www.vfaes.org/more-about-sangita|work=Voice for Asian Elephants Society|access-date=2020-10-03}} In addition, Iyer has received numerous academic awards and scholarships.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Controversies

In November 2019, a petition was filed by Viswa Gaja Seva Samithi organisation in the Kerala High Court to prevent Iyer from conducting a mahout (elephant care) training summit called "Gentle Giants Summit" at a government-owned elephant rehabilitation centre in Thiruvananthapuram.{{Cite web|date=November 12, 2019|title=Kerala HC seeks government views on plea against summit on elephants|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/hc-seeks-govt-views-on-plea-against-summit-on-elephants/articleshow/72013815.cms|access-date=2020-09-07|website=The Times of India|language=en}} The plea claimed that she was a foreign national in contrast to the national policies and was also accused of misusing the official emblem of Kerala state government in the brochures for the three-day workshop.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} However, Iyer presented her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card, affording her the privileges of Indian citizens,{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2024/Feb/13/row-erupts-over-thanneer-komban-investigation-team-after-allegations-over-nexus-involving-probe-team#:~:text=Since%20Sangita%20is%20a%20Canadian,%2C%20chairman%2C%20KIFA%20told%20TNIE.|title=Row erupts over Thanneer Komban investigation team after allegations over nexus involving probe team|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=13 February 2024}}{{Cite web|title=A mammoth move|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2020/jan/21/a-mammoth-move-2092152.html|access-date=2020-09-07|website=The New Indian Express|date=21 January 2020 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-kerala-must-protect-its-elephants-3-day-summit-state-involves-stakeholders-112444|access-date=2020-09-07|website=www.thenewsminute.com|title=Why Kerala must protect its elephants: 3-day summit in state involves stakeholders|date=16 November 2019}}{{Cite web|title=Kerala mulls training programme for mahouts by world-renowned experts|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/mar/30/kerala-mulls-training-programme-for-mahouts-by-world-renowned-experts-1957699.html|access-date=2020-09-07|website=The New Indian Express|date=29 March 2019 }} and the Kerala Forest Department had granted her the use of its emblem in their partnership on the summit.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

References

External links

{{IMDb name|id=nm4692806}}
[https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Gods_in_Shackles.html?id=v4OPEAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y Gods in Shackles - What Elephants Can Teach us About Empathy, Resilience and Freedom]

Category:Living people

Category:Canadian environmentalists

Category:21st-century Canadian women journalists

Category:21st-century Canadian journalists

Category:21st-century Canadian women writers

Category:Canadian documentary film directors

Category:Canadian women biologists

Category:Indian activists

Category:Indian women activists

Category:Indian women journalists

Category:Indian documentary film directors

Category:Indian women biologists