Press Release
Contact: Cindy Hoffman cindy@wildlifecoexistence.org 202 489 5587
Grammy Nominated Priya Darshini Joins IWCN Board of Directors
DC/Idaho– April 22,2021: The International Wildlife Coexistence Network (IWCN) is proud to announce that Priya Darshini has joined the Board of Directors.
Priya was raised in Mumbai and started singing at age four. Her debut album, Periphery was nominated for Best New Age Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards this year. Priya has been committed to IWCN since its inception this January, when she helped launch the organization by performing live for the launch event and narrated the IWCN introductory video.
During the event, she dedicated her song Loneliest Star to all of the participants in conservation. Priya said, “I just want you to know that you are seen, and that you are respected and that you are needed, and everything you are doing right now is making a big, big difference.”
Priya is excited to be a part of the organization, “I have always felt a deep connection to nature and all of her beautiful wildlife. My life’s purpose has been to use my expertise, and my art to give back to this world, and to inspire compassion and a deeper connection amongst those that feel disconnected from nature. Meeting the passionate and dedicated conservationists at IWCN has been timely, and inspiring. I am excited for our journey together. Much work needs to be done and I am confident that we will be able to inspire change and nurture co-existence amongst all living beings. “
Priya has a very personal story of coexistence. When she was a young girl, she said it was not uncommon to see leopards on the city streets of Mumbai wandering in from the forests in the nearby Sanjay Gandhi National Park. One day, she was traveling with her mum in a taxi and she saw a crowd attacking a cowering leopard. She jumped out of the taxi and threw herself between the crowd and the leopard. Fortunately, she was not hurt and the leopard took the opportunity to escape back into the forest. She said she later realized the fear the people had of the leopards and the importance of efforts to identify opportunities for coexistence.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Priya as part of our coexistence family,” said Founder and Executive Director Suzanne Asha Stone. “She has already contributed so much of her beautiful spirit to our organization. By sharing her music and her voice, we have been able to enhance our messaging and engage people at a deeper level in our mission.”
Priya is looking forward to continuing to further IWCN’s efforts through her music and hopes to bring other musicians and artists into the network to show the interconnection between music, art and nature. She also hopes to connect IWCN and our partners to projects in India. Read her blog profile here.
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The International Wildlife Coexistence Network provides expert interdisciplinary assistance, training, collaboration, and shared research to enable communities around the globe to coexist with wildlife.
