Raj Thackeray@RajThackeray
One of my absolute favourite television presenters, Sir David Attenborough, turns 100 today. Heartiest wishes to him on this remarkable milestone.
Around 2006, David Attenborough’s series ‘Planet Earth’ was released. That was still the era of DVDs. From that time onwards, I became almost obsessed with the work of this extraordinary man. Watching every new series that followed Planet Earth - first on DVDs and later on Blu-rays, as soon as they were released - became a passion for me.
Then came ‘Africa’ in 2013. Its opening montage was so breathtaking, such a masterclass in visual storytelling, that I have lost count of how many times I must have watched it.
Whenever I watch Attenborough’s documentaries, the way he narrates, I feel as if I am listening to a fairy tale. You become immersed in the story he tells, and once you enter that world, it remains with you forever. Many people have made documentaries over the years, but very few have possessed the rare storytelling gift of David Attenborough.
When one looks at Sir David Attenborough’s life, one is astonished at the life this man has lived, and how much he has given to the world. From black-and-white television to colour broadcasting, from high definition to 3D to 4K, he remained present through every technological transformation, narrating the story of nature with the same sense of wonder. And while doing so, he never tried to dominate the screen himself. Instead, he kept nature, the very thing he deeply loved, front and center.
Many people live to see 100. But there are a few rare individuals who spend their entire lives searching for something, and for whom that search itself becomes their lifelong companion.
Over the last hundred years, what has Attenborough not witnessed? The rise of television, the Second World War, the transition from black-and-white screens to colour, the satellite revolution, the jet age, the digital age, the internet age — and perhaps most importantly, humanity’s own transformation from being merely a part of the nature to becoming a force capable of destroying it in the name of development. In many ways, he witnessed the fastest century in human evolution. Yet despite all these changes, he continued to tell the story of nature with undiminished passion and curiosity.
The Attenborough who once introduced the world to the sheer beauty of nature gradually became the Attenborough who began warning us, with visible anguish, about how humanity itself is destroying that very world. If one wishes to see the scale of ecological decline that has happened within just five or six decades, one can trace it through the journey of David Attenborough’s documentaries themselves.
BBC’s public broadcasting demonstrated that deeply enriching content on science and nature could be created in a visually stunning yet accessible way. But it was David Attenborough who showed how powerful, precise and emotionally effective such storytelling could truly become.
I could write much more about Attenborough. But instead, I would especially urge Marathi youngsters to watch his documentaries. Watch them not just for the storytelling, but also to understand how beautiful nature truly is, and how recklessly we are destroying it in the name of roads, bridges and endless development.
There is one more reason why my colleagues in the media should watch Attenborough closely: when your understanding of a subject is deep and authentic, you stop worrying endlessly about whether your content will be watched or what needs to be done to make it “viral.”
Attenborough was born in an era when humanity was still discovering the mysteries of of our world and nature with curiosity and wonder. Today, at 100, he is witnessing a time when that same humanity risks pushing the planet and nature towards destruction. May he live long enough to once again see this Earth flourishing, vibrant and alive.
Heartfelt birthday wishes to Sir David Attenborough once again.
Raj Thackeray
