Unstoppable: Purnima Devi Barman

势不可挡:巴曼·普尼马·黛维

Discovery

科学

2025-04-08

26 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, the story of an Indian conservationist who combines stork preservation with female empowerment. On the banks of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Assam, a young Purnima Barman discovers a love of storks whilst singing songs with her farmer grandmother. Fast forward decades later, she has created a community like no other by recruiting an army of over 20,000 village women to bring the Hargila storks from her childhood back from the brink of extinction. With their shared goal of restoring the relationship between the people and the wildlife, discover how Purnima is empowering women in the face of gender inequality. Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Dr Purnima Devi Barman Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire (Image: Purnima Devi Barman. Credit: Purnima Devi Barman)
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  • A group of women dressed in meccal chador,

  • the bright hand-woven clothing of a Sam India, are gathered on the plains of a wetland.

  • On top of their heads sit towering paper mache hats depicting a long-necked, sharp-beaked bird.

  • The women clap, dance and sing songs in celebration after winning the Whitley Award,

  • one of the biggest conservation prizes out there.

  • They are members of the Hagila Army,

  • an over 10,000 strong force of women who have come together to save the bird that adorns their heads.

  • And among them is the woman who made it all happen.

  • I'm Ella Hubber, and I'm Julia Ravey.

  • We're scientists turned radio presenters.

  • And these are the stories we wished we'd known when we were starting out as scientists.

  • This is unstoppable for discovery on the BBC World Service.

  • Julia,

  • the story I'm going to tell you today is about how community-based conservation has brought a much maligned species of bird back from the brink of extinction in India.

  • An effort driven by the passion and determination of one conservationist.

  • And her name is Pneema Devi Barman.

  • We're going to come back to Pneema

  • because it's difficult to tell her story without first familiarising you with one of the great loves of her life,

  • the Greater Adjutant Stork.

  • And this bird is, let's say, it's quite distinctive looking.