Kolkata: The future of the Sundarbans found its voice in more than 800 schoolchildren who came together at the Bagh Bachao Tiger Festival 2026 at WPSI Serenity School, Bali, on Sept 26. Through quizzes, an oath, art, dance and theatre, the children turned tiger conservation into a message about protecting the mangroves, wildlife and the fragile delta they call home.Conducted by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation with the support of the Bali Nature and Wildlife Conservation Society (BNWCS) and Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the festival was held under the theme “Voices for the Tiger”. Nearly 200 teachers, guests, conservation supporters and other adults also attended.The event began with a mini quiz before Anil Mistry, secretary, BNWCS and principal field officer, WPSI, welcomed the gathering. A symbolic mangrove-watering ceremony and conservation oath, read by Jatindra Narayan Lahiri, put the responsibility of protecting the ecosystem directly before the young participants.Saurabh Sawant of Sanctuary Nature Foundation spoke about the Bagh Bachao programme, while Soma Saha of WWF-India highlighted the link between ecological security and communities.The forest dept’s conservation perspective came from Chitrak Bhattacharya, IFS, deputy field director, Sundarban Tiger Reserve, who addressed the students on tiger conservation. Akash Verma, IFS, assistant field director, Sundarban Tiger Reserve, was also present. Pradeep Vyas, IFS (Retd.), former PCCF, Wildlife & CWLW spoke on the past, present and future challenges facing the Indian Sundarbans. Uttam Bera, Mondal Sabhapati, Gosaba, addressed environmental pollution.Students from Bali Dhanmani Model High School, Sundarban Asitbaran High School, WPSI Serenity School, Satya Narayanpur S.B. High School and Bijoynagar Adarsh Vidya Mandir presented performances on the Sundari tree, environmental degradation and saving the Sundarbans.The festival also featured Art for Conservation, Quiz Contest and Nature Club prize distributions.
