Who among the following conservationists was conferred the Sanctuary Legend Award in the year 2015?

Introduction / Context:
The Sanctuary Wildlife Awards, instituted by Sanctuary Asia, recognise individuals and organisations that have rendered outstanding service to the cause of wildlife conservation in India. The Sanctuary Legend Award is a special category that honours a lifetime of work in protecting animals and habitats. This question refers to the year 2015 and asks which conservationist received the Sanctuary Legend Award. The correct answer is Ashok Kumar, a veteran wildlife campaigner and anti poaching activist whose work has had a major impact on wildlife protection laws and enforcement in India.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The award mentioned is the Sanctuary Legend Award. - The year of reference is 2015. - The options list several individuals associated with conservation or natural history work. - Only one of these names actually received the Legend Award in that year.

Concept / Approach:
To answer correctly, candidates should connect the Sanctuary Legend Award with long term contribution to wildlife causes. Ashok Kumar is well known for his work in fighting illegal wildlife trade and for his association with organisations that protect elephants, tigers, and other species. Exam oriented current affairs notes and environmental studies materials specifically mention his name in connection with the 2015 Sanctuary Legend Award. Other listed individuals, such as Varad Giri, are associated with other award categories or different years within the Sanctuary awards, but they did not receive the Legend Award in 2015. Linking each name to their correct recognition helps in ruling out wrong options.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify that the question focuses on the Sanctuary Legend Award for the year 2015. 2. Recall that this special award recognises lifelong contribution to wildlife conservation. 3. Remember from current affairs material that Ashok Kumar was honoured as the Sanctuary Legend in 2015. 4. Look at the options and confirm that his name appears as one of the choices. 5. Select Ashok Kumar as the correct answer and reject the others as distractors.

Verification / Alternative check:
A learner can verify this by recalling that Sanctuary Asia's published list of awardees for 2015 clearly recognises Ashok Kumar as the Legend Award recipient, while Varad Giri received recognition under a different category such as the Wildlife Service Award. Reading environment related magazines or reputable online sources that summarise these awards makes the names and categories familiar. Cross referencing the name Ashok Kumar with keywords like anti poaching, animal welfare, and Sanctuary Legend Award 2015 helps confirm that he is the correct answer for this question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Varad Giri is a respected herpetologist and conservationist, but he is known for winning a different Sanctuary award rather than the Legend Award for 2015. Anurag Kumar is listed as an option to confuse candidates, but there is no strong link between this name and the 2015 Sanctuary Legend Award. Viral Joshi likewise appears in some contexts in conservation circles, yet there is no evidence that he received the Legend Award in that year. Bittu Sahgal is the founder of Sanctuary Asia and a major environmental voice, but he is the organiser and promoter of these awards rather than the recipient of the 2015 Legend Award.

Common Pitfalls:
The main risk is mixing up categories within the Sanctuary awards, since there are multiple segments such as Wildlife Service Awards, Young Naturalist Awards, and the Legend Award. Students might also confuse Ashok Kumar with other individuals who share the same common name but work in different fields. Another common issue is not paying attention to the year and marking someone who received a similar award in a different year. To avoid such mistakes, it is helpful to maintain a short list of environment related honours grouped by award and year, with one or two keywords describing each recipient's work.

Final Answer:
The Sanctuary Legend Award for the year 2015 was conferred on Ashok Kumar.