NDTV news channel's 12 hour telethon supported the organization's Save Our Tiger campaign which is backed by Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign has raised a contribution of Rs 4.86 crore overall.

 

Big B acts as a brand ambassador of the national campaign, he has a strong support from NDTV heads for a common cause of tiger conservation. Many high profile people have also contributed for the same cause.Few days back Hollywood superstar, Leonardo DiCaprio also contributed.

 

Investment banker Hemendra Kothari donated a huge sum of Rs 2.43 crore, while Big B donated Rs 28 lakh for the same cause. The megastar also auctioned his Cartier watch and two pairs of designer glasses and it raised the funds to Rs 845,000 more.

 

Amitabh Bachchan added in a statement, "A year back when this campaign started, I felt honoured to be a part of it; and today I can see the efforts over the year bear fruit. The donations from this 12-hour telethon would be of immense help in providing the infrastructure required for consistent operations and activities in tiger conservation.”

 

Children of Hyderabad-based Chirec School raised Rs.220,000, other celebrities like Bhaichung Bhutia, Abhishek Bachchan, Nitin Gadkari, Diya Mirza, Manish Malhotra, Soli Sorabjee and Priya Dutt also did their bits.

 

As per Anish Andheria, director of Wildlife Conservation Trust, the funds gathered through the telethon are sufficient enough to make and deploy two teams for managing the 38 tiger reserves in the country in which 1,411 Tigers live.