(IN) Amitabh Bachchan and NDTV to join forces with WWF and Aircel to save tigers in India

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http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/4/2010032920100329025123252327b7b18/WWF-e\

vent-snub-to-Abhishek-irks-Big-B.html

 

WWF event snub to Abhishek irks Big B

 

Posters of Abhishek, who was selected as an ambassador for Earth Day by the

conservation group, were removed from venue of the event in Delhi

 

New Delhi: Even as the row over Amitabh Bachchan's presence at a function in

Mumbai refuses to die down, his son Abhishek's posters were removed from the

venue of WWF's `Earth Hour' event in Delhi on Saturday night.

 

A video message featuring Abhishek was also not shown at the event, attended by

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

 

Amitabh claimed that the removal of posters and cancellation of the audio visual

took place only a few hours before the event began. " Abhishek who has been

working so hard on the cause is obviously

disappointed, especially since he had worked late into the night where he was

shooting out of town to accommodate this creative, " the 67-year-old actor wrote

on his blog. " And I wonder. Am I hallucinating, or is there a pattern in all

this. "

 

Abhishek was appointed as the brand ambassador of `Earth Hour' by WWF India. He

even addressed press meets to promote the event earlier this month.

 

WWF had put up posters with his photographs in the capital as part of its

campaign to popularise the initiative under which lights were switched off in

various cities from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on Saturday.

 

aapn , wrote:

>

> *Big B for big cats: Save Our Tigers *

>

> Madhur Tankha *26/03/2010* *URL: **

>

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/03/26/stories/2010032667560400.htm*<http://www.theh\

indu.com/2010/03/26/stories/2010032667560400.htm>

>

> *Will lend his face and voice to initiative by NDTV, Aircel *

>

>

> *

> FOR A CAUSE: Bollywood super star Amitabh Bachchan at the " Save Our Tigers "

> campaign press conference in New Delhi on Thursday. *

>

> NEW DELHI: Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday announced that he

> would lend his face and voice to the cause of saving the majestic tiger from

> becoming extinct.

>

> As ambassador of " Save Our Tigers " campaign initiated by NDTV and Aircel,

> Mr. Bachchan will use his charisma and popularity to drive home the message

> to save the tiger.

>

> Country's wealth

>

> Mr. Bachchan said the tiger is symbolic of our country's wildlife wealth and

> is in danger because of rampant poaching and ineffectiveness of our systems

> to stop its killing: " Collective action is the need of the hour. It is for

> the government, wildlife experts, the media and the public to come together

> and effect a change. It is our responsibility to not only initiate a public

> movement but also to ensure that it gains momentum across the nation. "

>

> The campaign will enable all stakeholders to take affirmative action for

> tiger conservation in each State based on the common agenda. When Mr.

> Bachchan received a call from NDTV's Prannoy Roy about the campaign to save

> the tiger from extinction, he immediately agreed as the cause concerned " our

> nature and environment " .

>

> " If my face and voice can be used to impress people about a national cause

> then I am all for it. I liked the fact that the electronic media has started

> this campaign as its penetration is more. It was important that awareness to

> save this beautiful animal was propagated across our country, " added the

> senior actor at a press conference in the Capital on Thursday. Describing

> the tiger as " our national entity " , Mr. Bachchan said: " We should leave the

> tiger alone so that it doesn't feel entrenched. In the coming months if I

> can convince even one person about the need to follow this righteous path

> then I will be extremely happy. As artistes our faces are used to endorse

> products that attract consumers and if they can be converted into a national

> cause then I will be the extremely gratified. "

>

> Mr. Bachchan, who had flown in from Mumbai to spearhead this campaign, said

> he had gone to the NDTV studio to shoot for successive campaigns that will

> hopefully be in the market soon.

>

> Dr. Roy said when he explained what the campaign was all about, Mr. Bachchan

> didn't take a second to give his nod. He is inundated with so many such

> requests but he took out a great deal of his time for the tiger campaign.

> " Two years ago we were the first ones to draw the attention of citizens and

> the government to the rapid decline of tiger population in India. Our

> signature campaign `Save the Tiger' led to the formation of Special Tiger

> Protection Force by the Prime Minister, " he added.

>

> WWF India secretary-general and CEO Ravi Singh said the campaign was centred

> round creating awareness about the present status of tigers in India. As a

> principal issue, the tiger needs all the help that can be focused at this

> juncture. A special show anchored by Vikram Chandra will engage all key

> stakeholders and tiger experts to voice their opinion on what needs to be

> done to protect the tigers. Hard-hitting stories and documentaries on the

> threats and issues concerning the survival of tigers will be aired. There

> will also be a live non-stop programming for a day disseminating facts about

> tigers with the objective of creating a public outcry and help raise funds

> to protect the tigers from disappearing from their traditional homeland.