The world’s leading cardiac surgeon, Dr. Ramakanta Panda has been shortlisted for the Sony BBC Earth Photography Contest 2022. The theme for the year is ‘Thrill of life.’ Photographers were invited to send their entries to the contest on 19th August 2022 in sub-categories such as landscape, adventure and wildlife. After a detailed shortlisting process, voting for the finalists opened on 6th October 2022.

Speaking about being a finalist, Dr. Ramakanta Panda, India's heart surgeon with the Midas touch says, “It is a privilege to be shortlisted for the Sony BBC Earth. Wildlife photography has always been a ‘stress-buster’ for me.” Dr. Panda enjoys spending his weekends exploring different forests in search of interesting subjects to photograph such as India, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, etc.

He is also a philanthropist in the sector. In 2021, Dr. Panda had announced an eco-friendly holiday resort for the benefit of around 2,000 poor forest workers in and around the famed Bandhavgarh National Park (BNP) and sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. He has also donated a petrol pump and a boom barrier to create a parking lot, at the Kanha National Park and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary respectively. The income generated from these is expected to give significant relief to workers in both reserves.

He is also due to exhibit his pictures at the Nehru Centre in London in July 2023. The winner for the Sony BBC Earth contest will be announced in the week of 22 October. The contest will be judged by award-winning wildlife photographer, Rathika Ramasamy.