PUNE: What started as a passion with a camera purchased from his first stipend, has now won 38-year-old Rahul Sachdev the Windland Smith Rice International awards, in the wildlife category.The award is given by Nature's Best Photography, a magazine based in Reston, Virginia.Sachdev's winning photograph shows two tigers wrestling each other. He clicked it in June 2015 at the Ranthambore National Park , Rajasthan.Sachdev said, "I was following a family of three sub-adults and a bold mother. I tracked them to a dense patch next to a water body. They didn't really seem to be in a mood to come out on that particular day, but nature does surprise you sometimes. About 20 minutes before the park gates closed, the family decided to make a grand entry. The drama unfolded right in front of our vehicle. I have an entire sequence of around ten images of this fight, but I connect the most with this particular one that I call 'the Goddess'. I hope my image can play a small part in spreading awareness about Tigers throughout the world.""I call this picture 'The Goddess' because Goddess Durga is depicted riding a tiger. Also the hands of the two tigers in the picture are aligned in such a manner that they look like four hands of just one animal," added the IT professional from Baner.The award is named after nature photographer and conservationist Windland Smith Rice. Sachdev will get the award on November 16 in Washington DC. "It's a matter of great pride for my photograph to be displayed at Smithsonian," he said.

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