Prajna Chowta

Prajna Chowta is an Indian filmmaker, anthropologist, and conservationist known for her work with Asian elephants and indigenous communities. Born in 1970, she grew up between India and Africa, later studying anthropology in London. As one of India’s few female mahouts, she has spent decades working with elephants, including establishing the Aane Mane Foundation (http://aanemane.org/) for their conservation and welfare. Prajna is also an accomplished author and filmmaker, with works like Elephant Code and the documentary Elephant Blues. In 2019, she was honoured with the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by the French government for her contributions to conservation and culture.