Model-actress Shivani Wazir Pasrich has taken her I Am The Tiger initiative to a different level with lSR’s Cross-Country Run. She informed Iknoor Kaur that her next step is to create a Conservation Dome and start a television series
When Taqdeer, the tiger, was called upon by the angry sages, one thing they asked him to do was get rid of lord Shiva who was walking unclad and naked in the forest. He obediently went and Shiva killed him in one go and tore his skin to cover himself. It was not until he had killed the tiger that he realised what he had done. So, he revived Taqdeer and told him that he could live on forever. But did he want to live on forever in a world that didn’t want him at allIJ Shivani Wazir Pasrich’s performance I Am The Tiger questions this. Two years old, with over 13 shows all over the world, the model-actress has taken her tiger conservation model from theatre performances to art shows. And now she has taken the help of sports and has introduced Cross-Country Run in lady Shri Ram College. The annual run will be on August 30. It will be followed by a detailed discussion on the importance of tiger conservation in order to save the environment with latika Nath and filmmaker Mike Pandey, after which a seven-minute film on the performance will be screened.
Shivani says that the tiger is only a metaphor for nature. “I Am The Tiger is a voice for conservation. I can have any number of connotations. What we did was, laid out art work by thousands of children and then saw what they thought of conservation. We realised that all the captions they had given were written in first person. So it could have been a tree or a forest or a tiger,” she said.
She puts environment conservation in two words — black and yellow. She said, “It’s the blacks and yellows that keep the world going. The bee, that pollinates and the tiger who maintains the balance of nature.”
She continued, “We want to spread the power of knowledge and understand the importance of balance. Spiritually speaking, the tiger is the weapon of empowerment and literally he is the preserver of nature. So, people need to know that if they want to last, they need these tigers.”
Shivani has a few projects around the theme I Am The Tiger in mind. She is planning to build a Conservation Dome. She explained, “It will be a place where you can get baptised with nature. Where you can live, breathe and speak nature. The aim is to travel with the project to different parts of the world and with whatever tool you have, be it acting, singing or dancing — echo your sentiments.” Shivani has created an entire database for the same. She added, “We have a system where all the winning participants will sign a pledge card. At the time when the dome will be set up we will call back these champions to come and do whatever they can.”
The second project on her mind is collaborating with Mike to start a television series based on the same. Shivani said that if the plan works out, she will be seen back on television after her last appearance as an anchor on Morning Zee on Zee TV. She shared, “It will be a travelogue and a conservation fact file. We will try and get young people to be a part of it and be as innovative as possible. I think I have the power to influence people through my performances. So, I want to make the best use of it.”
According to Shivani television is an important medium to make people understand reality. “Television has a huge reach. We want to tell people how important the forest is and how the tiger is so important to conserve the forest. I always say that if trees had WiFi hubs, we would plant one everyday. Our priorities are somewhere else,” she quipped.
Shivani can also be spotted at several events in the city or performing on stage, but unfortunately she said that she won’t be making a silver screen appearance anytime soon. “I feel destiny plays a part in what I do in life, so I have no plans. The hard work is there but which road I will take will only be sure once I reach the T-point,” she summed up.