When a child is given a camera for the first time, something remarkable happens.

They don’t wait to be taught every rule. They crouch, climb, lean, look, experiment and explore. Curiosity takes over.

That is the idea behind Catapults to Cameras, a programme that encourages children from hunting communities of southern West Bengal to discover forests through a lens instead of a catapult.

Since June 2026, we have been travelling from village to village giving children between the ages of 6 and 13 the chance to hold a camera and a pair of binoculars for the very first time and learning how to use it. Till date, 9 workshops have shown 60 young participants new ways to appreciate nature through engaging games, storytelling and watching nature-based movies.

These children have spent time observing birds, insects, flowers and forests, learning that there is just as much excitement in discovering wildlife as there is in pursuing it.

Many of the photographs in this video were taken by these first-time photographers.

Their perspective reminds us that sometimes, all it takes is a new tool to see the world differently.

Thank you to the Rao Family Trust (RAFT) for supporting the Catapults to Cameras programme this year.