In the year 1977, a young advertising professional trekked to Upper Dachigam near Kashmir — the route winds through rugged, alpine meadows — all in an attempt to spot the hangul, a flagship stag species endemic to the region. He penned his experiences down, which later made it to a full-page feature in The Indian Express. 

Looking back, the boy would recall the incident as shaping two of his life’s leitmotifs — Bittu Sahgal is now a veteran journalist with four decades of advocacy in conservation. He’s hailed for his prowess in environmental activism, wielding the pen as powerfully as he champions causes on the ground. 

And his brainchild, wildlife magazine Sanctuary Asia, is an article of faith for those who look to journalism to shape the future of conservation. The story of how the magazine was born in 1981 is as iconic as the ones that have filled its pages in the last 44 years. 

One evening, while sitting around a campfire at Ranthambore, Sahgal asked his mentor Fateh Singh Rathore (often described as the founding father of Ranthambore National Park) a simple question: What can I do to save the tiger?

Rathore responded, “Bittu, there are hundreds of bekaar (useless) magazines on Indian politics, sports, films… but not one wildlife magazine. Start one! Win public support. That will help. But you are a Bombaiya, city-bred, I know you will do nothing! Then, on your next visit, you will ask the same question. You city people are like that only.”

“Exactly nine months later, in October 1981, I handed him the inaugural issue of Sanctuary Asia,” Sahgal shares. Ever since its first edition, the magazine hasn’t wavered from its moral compass — “without having missed a single issue despite wars, social strife, and economic meltdowns” — never deflecting from speaking truth to power, amplifying the voices of marginalised communities and ensuring every species gets its moment in the sun. 

Every alternate issue of the monthly magazine is dedicated to young readers (Sanctuary Cub). Then, in 2015, Sanctuary Nature Foundation was established as an extension of the same vision, bringing together conservationists, naturalists, photographers, writers, and editors........

© The Better India