“Even ordinary citizens can become researchers and contribute to science — even without formal education!” said renowned reptile and amphibian expert Dr. Varad Giri during a special session titled “Miloon Saare Sanshodhak: Our Role in Biodiversity” organized by Alive Charitable Trust. The lecture was held as part of the first edition of Alive CNC School Blitz 2025, a school-level competition aimed at encouraging greater inclusivity in natural sciences and fostering active participation from both students and the general public.

Dr. Giri explained, “Biodiversity conservation depends on accurate and scientific data, which is traditionally collected by trained scientists. However, biodiversity is a vast and complex subject, requiring a huge amount of data, while the number of experts is limited. So, how can we bridge this gap? The answer lies in citizen science. As responsible citizens, you too can collect basic biodiversity data and become part of a larger scientific movement, making a meaningful contribution.”

Dr. Giri has discovered 56 new species of reptiles and amphibians in the Western Ghats. A genus has even been named after him in scientific nomenclature. He has previously served in a leadership role at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and is currently a Principal Scientist at Reliance Foundation. He has trained over 200 citizen scientists. Through real-life examples, he illustrated how observations made by ordinary citizens — in forests, backyards, or during travels — can significantly contribute to scientific research, thereby highlighting the importance of public science in an inspiring way.

As part of the event, an award ceremony was recently held at the Department of Scientific Computing, Modelling and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University, to honor the winning schools and students. Many schools and institutions from Pune and Solapur participated in this competition. The event was coordinated by Alive trustee Dr. Bhalchandra Pujari, who noted, “In its very first edition, the four-day Alive CNC School Blitz 2025 saw participation from 12 schools and institutions. A total of 24 observers recorded 744 observations covering 273 species. This is a promising start, and participation is expected to grow in the coming years.”

Upload Master Award (Most Observations):

• Gold Trophy: Pune Municipal School No. 174B, Kondhwa
• Silver Trophy: Pisavre Secondary School, Pune
• Bronze Trophy: Yashkirti Vidyalaya, Pandharpur

Diversity Champion Award (Most Species):

• Gold Trophy: Pisavre Secondary School, Pune
• Silver Trophy: Yashkirti Vidyalaya, Pandharpur
• Bronze Trophy: Pune Municipal School No. 174B, Kondhwa

Mobility Hero Award (Maximum Participation):

• Gold Trophy: D. H. Kavathekar School, Pandharpur
• Silver Trophy: Pisavre Secondary School, Pune
• Bronze Trophy: S. M. Nirmaladevi Vidyamandir, Pandharpur

Special Mentions:

• Preeti Paithankar from Dadamaharaj Natekar Vidyalaya
• Sandeep Sakpal from Zilla Parishad School, Sangavade
• Shrikant Badave from Nisarg Sanvardhan, Pandharpur
  All were honored with medals and certificates.

Alive’s Founder President, Umesh Vaghela, shared information about the organization’s work in nature conservation. Event insights were given by Mr. Swanand Kesari. Secretary Chaitanya Rajarshi offered a hosted the prize distributions. The initiative also received valuable support from Dhruv Phadke of Eco-Gecko.