Parbati Barua Honored with Padma Shri for Elephant Conservation Advocacy

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Shri upon Parbati Barua from Assam for her exceptional contributions to social work, particularly in elephant conservation and wildlife management. Barua, hailing from Assam’s Gauripur royal family, made history as India’s first female elephant mahout, breaking gender stereotypes. She has tamed over 500 elephants using traditional methods and played a pivotal role in mitigating human-elephant conflicts across several states. Her global impact includes representation at international workshops and receiving accolades such as the ‘Asom Gaurav Award 2023’ and the United Nations Environment Programme’s ‘Global 500 Roll of Honour.’ Additionally, her documentary ‘Aparajita 2023’ garnered acclaim, earning her the ‘Nature’s Warrior’ jury award at the Kolkata International Wildlife & Environment Film Festival.