Our 'Paper' Boat

My Paper Boat

Glad to know that ‘My Paper Boat’ is sailing successfully to some thinking minds propagating the message of global warming, climate change, drought & displacement. ‘My Paper Boat’ is a simple short film I did with my friends for a competition conducted as part of Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to be held in UK. All the world nations are expected to sign a treaty taking the vow to diminish the Carbon emission for a better future. Today we are quite proud to know that the film is selected as the best film for screening at Copenhagen to convey this message to an international crowd.

On behalf of our little cast and crew, I would like to thank the contest organizers, the judges, the sponsors and the viewers for accepting this video. Glad that it could reach to this rank. Yet, more than winning this competition, we are quite happy being a part of this event - rather this movement- reaching lot many like minded people, propagating a good cause in the simplest manner possible. As many of you commented, this might not make huge changes but we are sure that it can definitely trigger a thought for all thinking minds.

The video is hosted in the site

http://www.1minutetosavetheworld.com/

Through this video we are trying to present a possible state of displacement one might have to face in future because of changing climate. The whole scenario is visualized in a simple manner with the mannerisms of a child with his ‘Paper Boat’.

I remember my childhood in Kerala, with my sister and friends throwing paper boats in water during the monsoons. We used to be ready with the boats waiting for the rain to hit the ground. While doing a documentary film for NFSC, mentioned in my previous blog, I almost saw this kid in my mind. My friend Deepu Charles triggered the idea of Paper Boat and together we made the concept note. Later buddy Sachindev helped me find the boy ‘Arjun’ for the video. Kiran and Sachin helped me with whole process of shooting. Thanks to Susan and Rayson who helped us with the camera, so that we could finish the shoot in almost negligible budget.

Synopsis:
My Paper Boat is the story of a little boy; we keep meeting somewhere or rather everywher e in the heart of India. He lost his play space due to the drought. He is now confused on where to leave his paper boat. So he is looking around for various means to make it move. For him, the hot sun is the villain who took off his comforts, but we know the reality. He is still on his search for an option. The protagonist here represents the displaced population due to global warming.

Interview with the crew





Please find below the news reports and blogs on this video.

Details of screening at Copenhagen

December Newsletter Copenhagen

January Newsletter Copenhagen

In Television: Indiavision Channel
Publications: Press Clips

Deccan Chronicle Indian Express Gulf Times Thaindian news

Greenpeace Ctrl.Alt.Shift Recentinside Connect Science News Take Part Prokerala Kerala.com ukmalayalee

Blogs: Kate Morries Caty says City Pollen Connexions and Contradictions Entrophy

The sky unusually looked so red,
The air was like fire,
A fierce goddess entered the villages,
And killed the people with diseases,
So people remained in their homes,
And did not go outside, In this great famine,
Some died and some survived

Lines from ‘Durbhikshya Boli’ - a poem by poet Sri.Manohar Meher from Sinapali, who witnessed the seven famines of 1899.

This documentary film talks about one hundred years of drought and lore in the districts of Kalahandi and Naupada in Orissa and its impact on the lives of tribes - Gond and Bhunjia. Produced by National Folklore Support Centre (Chennai), in collaboration with Adibasi Sanskruti Gabesana Parishad (Orissa) as a part of Orissa Digital Community Archive Project. Funded by Ford Foundation.

Details of the film in NFSC site

Thanks to Mr. M.D. Muthukumaraswamy ( Director NFSC) for giving me this project and Mr. Mahendra Kumar Misra (ASGP) for helping me realize it.

I learned a lot while doing this film - Simple facts like, my life in Kerala and metros in India never told anything about India. As Gandhi said India’s heart is in her villages. In a way one can call India, a big village. Though the project started with the plan of representing the effect of drought in those regions, what I saw was - the tribes were not only suffered from the drought but they were even badly affected by landgravers and corrupted officials. They were displaced form their own land. Gonds shifted to Raipur, remains a living truth of displacement. Interviews with Mr. Ravi Das, Secretary (Kalahandi Vikas Parishad) also proved this fact.

As Amarthya Sen says in ‘Poverty and Famine’(1981)

“Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being no food to eat”

It was not cockroach in cocktail then... As this website id reads it was ‘centurs’. I wanted to call this film club ‘Centurs Creation’. That was 4 years back.

As Wikipedia says - Cen`taurs, a savage race living between Pelion and Ossa, in Thessaly, and conceived of at length by Pindar as half men and half horses, treated as embodying the relation between the spiritual and the animal in man and nature, in all of whom the animal prevails over the spiritual except in Chiron, who therefore figures as the trainer of the heroes of Greece; in the mythology they figure as the progeny of Centaurus, son of Ixion (q. v.) and the cloud, their mothers being mares.

I was always been fascinated by this mythical creature in my childhood, ever since the I first got introduced to Greek Mythology. My slates and books used to be filled with pictures of horses. Centurs can be identified as a good combination of Good and Evil, in other words those qualities we can truly call ‘purely human’. Anyways my intention is not to talk about Centurs here. I just want to share thoughts about a film I did immediately after college days.

After college days, I was in Kerala with Ad filmmaker Vinod A.K for three months. Since then he is my only Guru and the production house ‘Veye’ my second home. All that I did later in life, is what I learned from him.

Those days, I was really confused about the realization of a fiction though I was somehow comfortable crafting a factual film which we call by the name ‘documentary’. Due to some personal reasons I returned back to Chennai and joined a firm called Newmedia Television. It was then the plan of doing a short film came into mind. There were quite a few concepts, but I was so touched by one thought that flashed in mind which was about ‘My Mirror’. I shared it with friends Joseph Alex and Titty Joseph. Both were initially confused, but then got convinced by the storyline.

Anbu said that he would do the camera for us. Friends, Anjana and Soumya quickly accepted the roles I described them. Titty’s classmate Rahul joined as the Production Controller. He also found us the other few very important actors for the film. In fact, the whole process of Mirror was an imitation of what I saw at Veye Films. My intention was to say a powerful story and in that process learn how to do a fiction.

During the whole process we had our own complications. Camera was supposed to be a character, Mr. Mirror and there was a scene in which the protagonist needs to throw the mirror. Anbu tried a lot of ways to identify an appropriate solution, but finally the best was to actually throw the camera. I decided to do the protagonist and in that scene throw the cam to Anbu’s hands and later the other character Soumya would take it and keep it back in the tripod. With our adventurous cameraman, in just two takes, we finished that shot. As soon as I took the cam from tripod and walked, Anbu scrolled down quickly to the other corner and when I threw it he caught it and kept it steady down. In all the other scenes the camera remained

the most obedient actor, ‘My Mirror’. My special regards to Titty who gave different looks for the same room for each scene according to the changing time.

Even after all this, with the final film I realized one thing - it is not conveying anything that I wanted a My Mirror to say and I ended up having a BIG Complex. I even thought of not attempting anymore fictions in life. The mistakes were, doing the film in English, acting the protagonist myself, bad time management, one big mechanical error with camera etc etc. Hence I kept the film hidden in my DVD pouch for almost 3 years. A few months back my friend Sachin happened to see it and told me that he liked the whole concept and I must breathe some life into it. Thus this film happened again. A few weeks back I started re-writing and re-editing it. And today I am presenting you ‘My Mirror’ in a better shape, though I still accept that it still retain a lot of mistakes including me and my language. Kindly accept it as an amateur filmmaker’s first effort exploring the media of film. Thanks.

Warm regards,
Cockroach

With the birds and butterflies...

Escaping from the load noises of crackers, a small group of guys from MCC, as part of a program by OSLE India went into the woods nearby Medavakam Kootu Road (Chennai) to explore and experience the company of birds, on this Diwali. I joined the journey because of my good friends Rayson, Susan and Sachin who belongs to the OSLE India team, and trust me it just became a memorable day in my life. What I have seen only in Animal Planet, (in fact that’s probably one among the very few channels I am in craze of) I experienced the same in the company of our own Steve Irvin, Hopeland from Zoology department Madras Christian College.

I always liked listening to the birds, in fact I had 2 pigeons and quite a few lovebirds at home back in Kerala. There used to be a cage in common for rabbits and love birds. But this time it was way different. Watching a being in its own habitat is quite a joy. They talks to you in the language of freedom. I guess my love birds might have also sounded different in their own habitat. At the forest we came across only a few rare specis, in fact other birds were familiar ones. But I don’t think I have ever watched or understood any of them this clear before…. even our very on Cookoo, Maina, Crow or Kingfisher. Hopeland clearly ‘re-introduced’ each of those species to all of us that each of them gained a different status in our minds. I and Sachin went around taking videos of all of them and the group while Hopeland took his breaks and kept explaining things. Whenever he heard a familiar or unfamiliar call of a bird he would stop immediately and get hold of his binoculars. What fascinated us was his knowledge of other beings too along with the birds. He knew every butterfly in the area and their mode of living. On the way he showed us an agonizing Skelton of a dog, but now it is the home of a colorful beetle. He came out and looked at his guests explaining silently the tyranny and irony of life.

I had a great time videographing a rare Brahminical Maina following it quietly keeping my slippers away, and of course the adventure in the pond further inside the forest. As soon as we reached the pond side, Hopeland asked us to be quite so that he can get an Owl in his binoculars. Sad... he was hiding somewhere. But yet the pond kept us happy with a vivid view. We saw a few water snakes and two rare species of Kingfishers. Hopeland was so excited watching the snakes and he said that he can try catching one and examine it close. In no time three of us went down to the pond. Hopeland was on one side of the pond and I was trying to focus my camera on him standing on the other side. Hearing our footsteps, quite a few frogs busy in their sun-bath did a quick plunge into the water… it was a great show. I slowly stepped into the water from one side and Hopeland from the opposite side. I guess the water at that side got disturbed and I saw a snake approaching me. It was really fast reached almost my legs. I got the shock of my life and tried to move out. I guess the sounds and the ripples made it equally scared. Sensing the presence of a foreign body, in few seconds it took a U-turn and went in a different direction. Meanwhile Hopeland’s leg caught in the mud which he finally struggled his way out and then cautioning me to carry a stick to identify the depth at each level. He tried his best to catch one snake. Guess the whole noise made them too cautious that they smartly hid themselves in the muddy bottom. So we too came out.

On the way back we saw few other birds and some interesting plants. Nirmal sir (English department, MCC) was guiding us in the whole trip, explaining each species and plant with their actual literature connection. He showed as ‘Kunni-mani’ seeds and said that even a few decades back people used it for weighing gold. Rayson kept recording the whole conversations on his phone and others made short notes. We entered the forest land around 8 AM and it took almost 3 hours to just make one small circle of excavation. All thanks to Hopeland who guided us and described the beauty of the bird's kingdom. Though, I don’t really remember the names of all the species he showed us, we are planning to make it a shot docu film with the details ...of course with the help of our own ‘Steve Irvin’.

An Unavoidable Disagreement

Just wanted to share a wild life documentary film by a very good friend of mine, Amit Mitra.

http://www.vimeo.com/6033711

Synopsis:

An Unavoidable Disagreement is a story of Snow Leopard’s relentless struggle - a struggle for existence in the face of human competition on one hand, and a struggle for its revival by the same human beings on the other. In a fortnight's journey to Ladakh, a cold desert in India, four members of Conservancy Efforts reveal some astonishing facts - of threats to these wild predators and also of efforts afoot to conserve the mystical snow leopards.Conservancy Efforts is a non-profit group of IT professionals from Bangalore, India, creating films to increase awareness for conservation of the wild.

On a Guerrilla Day :

Cockroach just got back from a 23 day video-shoot of Mahabharatham Festival at a village called Takolam in Vellore District, Tamil Nadu. On one of those tedious days a small shooting adventure took him back to some of those nostalgic days of his childhood. He was then a little boy with all the notorious monkey instincts. Memories of those days, hence, still remains as high as those trees at his ancestral house in the village, Avoli. There used to be 4 Nut-Mug (Jathi) trees which was our little cockroach's dream world. Except for the tall coconut trees, palm trees and two giant jack fruit trees there were hardly any tree in the place, he hasn't reached. Little cockroach used to look at the way 'Varky Chettan' (brother) climbed those coconut trees to pluck the coconuts for home. He used to take small breaks while climbing the coconut tree and then look down and smile at us. Little cockroach used to wonder how the world looked from such a height. He used to wonder how he would have felt when the tree swings as he climbs. “Huh I must be looking like an ant for Varky Chettan.”, smiled Cockroach.

Little cockroach also liked making bow and arrow. He used to make excellent bow with thin yet strong stems (his favourite was the stem of coffee plants) and the thread with the skin of plantain trees. After designing the weapons he would then act like the epic heros of Ramayana or Mahabharatha, realizing the bed-time stories of his grandpa. He also admired Tarzan for his jungle life on trees. Cockroach always tried to imitate tarzan climbing on all the four Nut-Mug trees with the bow and arrow hanging on his back and then shooting at his prey....the poor jack fruits, guava, or champa berrys used to be his target animals. Another game was to shoot arrows aiming at plantain leaves or even high at coconut leaves. Since the arrows used to get stuck on the leaf and hang down, cockroach could count their number and thus decide how good an archer he is. Nut-mug trees had another beauty. It was always been full of leaves that used to hide the 'Guerrilla' warrior from his beloved mother, who must be in search of him, with a long stick ready to paint his butt in black-blue colours.

Now you must be wondering why suddenly the big cockroach at Takolam village ended up thinking about little cockroach. On the last day of his project there, the big cockroach – after a long period of time - became the same Guerrilla worrier shooting from a tall tree.....the differences were...it wasn't a Nut-Mug tree that time, but a temporary palm tree....He didn't have an arrow to shoot, but he did the same with a Panasonic NVGS Camera.

It was the last day of the Mahabharatham festival and there were 3 huge statues of the epic characters Duryodhana, Saliyar and Sakuni (in lying posture, made of sand) at the temple ground. Each of the statue were the size of a shuttle-court and there wasn't any camera angle on the ground or the nearby buildings that he could get a clear-full length frame for the final drama cum ritual. The ritual Therukoothu (folk drama) happens around these statues with the actor who play the role of Bhima finally hitting the thigh of Duryodhana statue, symbolizing the killing of the great villian of Mahabharatha. The total drama was supposed to happen for almost 2 hours and the whole area was been thickly crowded.

There was a temporary palm tree planted at the ground by the villagers for a similar Therukoothu play-ritual, Arjunan Davasu. The actor who played the role of Arjuna climbed on this tree and throw lemon from that height, symbolizing the incident of Mahabharatha where Arjuna does a penance to please Lord Siva and gain the divine arrow 'Paasupatha'. A look at the tree gave me the same instincts of Little Cockroach. But it was all covered with electric tubes, lights and wires. Thankfully there was an electrician boy Karthik who became a close friend. Cockroach quickly told him to cut all the wires and current connection to the plam tree. In no time Panasonic NVGS cam took the space of Bow and arrow on the back, and cockroach climbed the palm tree. It was tedious and a bit scary coz it was a temporary tree planted only for a day's drama. As he climbed the tree kept swinging in a 'melody'. Somehow cockroach reached the top and sat on the small platform made for Arjuna.

Finally, the little Cockroach saw what he wanted to see almost twenty years back. - Varky Chettan's 'world' from the Coconut tree. He finally experienced the same scary swing which Varky Chettan would have experienced sitting on top of the tree. Cockroach calmly stayed back for two hours on that cradle of palm tree doing his Guerrilla Shoot with his new age weapon. After two hours when he came down, Boss asked, "Where you been a toddy thief in Kerala?” :)

Pondicherry

It wasn't my first trip to Pondy, probably the second or third but surely the best of all. A German friend, Kerstin was there doing a one month course in Tamil language. After a talk on phone I decided to take the bus to Pondy on the same weekend to meet her. In both my previous visits I haven't had a chance to experience the beauty of the land. And for her, it was her first visit. We hence planned to roam around the city exploring the known and unknown. Now this post isn't anything about our journey, it's all about a little adventure I did coz I still experience the sound of waves so loud, clear and wild in my ears.

The day I reached Pondy, we both walked through the French area checking out the buildings and the main sea-side nearby, talking about her research work, my documentaries and so on. Almost half a day went in that and by evening we had a nice South-Indian dinner. Btwn, she is a pure vegetarian and loves true South-Indian flavors and dishes. At night around 10.30 I went back to the bus depot side to find a room to stay and she went back to her place. Almost all the lodges were booked and the only one available had a room till next day early morning 7.They gave it to me for a cheaper rate on the condition that I must leave early in the morning which was pretty much Okay for the Vagabond. I informed her that we would meet by 9 AM in the morning. Well Pondy without a beer is an utter nonsense as they say. So I grabbed one for the sake of Pondy, otherwise I don't think in past 4-5 years I ever drank to go off the mind but to celebrate a moment with close friends. I am equally not okay with 'washing a pain' with beer to rather facing it. Another reason for my love for a beer is that I enjoy food with it.

There were no chirping birds to wake me up. But I still woke up from an unknown world of dream at 5 AM listening to mobile alarm, had a quick bath…checked out from the lodge and went to the sea-side. Probably I was the only visitor so early there except for the routine joggers and some dogs. No sound from the roads and the streets…the sea was hence so loud. The wind and wave together played the sonata. The waters kept splashing on the hard rock with the great rhythm of hard rock. Some people may say it's of their pain but I felt it of their joy. Rocks, hence always clean by the touch of current sheltered many crabs black in color true to its habitat. On the same day at ‘Paradise Beach’, we found quite a lot crabs in the color of sand in the sand-bed. Golden rays of sun peeped out of the horizon galvanizing the paradise of human. The mood was truly meditative. I don't know how many of you actually enjoy life...are addicted to life...mad about of life...crazy and wild about life...here I am, for these small-little reasons.

I walked through the sea-side up and down listening to the sonata and reached near a sea bridge...a bit high....it was blocked…looked like a restricted area. It was not me and the joggers alone busy there. Found a lot of fisher man down under the bridge with their morning catch, fishes and squids of various sizes. Suddenly I remember a day while studying in MCC when we went for a 'Turtle Walk ' through the beaches of Chennai at night tracing turtle eggs to protect it from predators of dark. Early in the morning we were asked not to walk in front of the fishermen boats getting ready to sail for their hunt of survival because they consider it as a bad Oman. The fishing happens mostly ..early during the day-break. Well, that story of turtle walk is of the scope of yet another blog post. So I'm coming back to the saga on Pondy.

The sea-bridge was so tempting to climb. From that distance it looked so exciting…stretched towards the sea with the sea on all the three side. For a moment I dreamt of standing at the extreme end… or rather sitting there at the edge stretching my legs to the sea. They say, Sagittarians are a confused lot as they have a serious problem in finding any difference between dream and reality. Dad always keeps questioning me for this attitude. Well what to do dad, I'm born Sagi...'I dream' is 'my reality'. I looked around for means to climb the bridge and saw some fishermen walking through the walls of the bridge on which it stands so high in the sea. A second thought hardly have any scope…natural instincts only works well with me. In a few minutes I was there up climbing the walls...quite slippery with the waves hitting it hard reaching almost to the height which I was walking. Kept clicking photos at every step... The roaring sea was so notorious and I am no swimmer. Thankfully the notorious salt water have had already made the surface of the wall so hard giving me great grip. I had to look around now and then to see whether there were any coast guards around. Just walked through the walls to the extreme end and reached a block were it’s mentioned water is steep...Strictly No Entry. But there was a ladder on that side to climb on top of the bridge...Basic Instincts worked again…I intruded in to that space and climbed the ladder to the top of the bridge. It was so exciting to see an open bridge so wide for me to walk. I walked like a king to the tip of it.

I guess I stood there for an hour the sea breeze…listening to the sonata of sea. By then sun was out in his golden shades romancing with the waves leaving me irritated for another man's glance over the sea. Water kept glittering-swinging, so soft and rhythmic. For a moment I felt that the bridge is also swinging like a cradle leaving me quite sleepy. Kerstin's phone

call got me back to the world I belongs to and hence got up and walked back. Suddenly I realize that to get out of the bridge either I have to take the same risky way which I climbed or to walk out though the other end of the bridge where the securities are standing. I can get caught as an intruder. Kerstin must be waiting...so I thought I take the normal way towards the security...though I had no clue how to handle them.

Thank Gods...for my surprise the gate opened and a few vans came in...a film crew with the generator van and accessories for shoot. I didn't think much but waited till the vans stop at one place and people get down. Once they got down I joined them and then towards the main gate...and from there straight to the security. There were two of them. Before they could say a word, I asked “Anna (brother in tamil), is there a tea kadai (shop) nearby…long journey...I'm so tired”, with all authority and attitude I could act. Their face changed and politely showed me the direction out to the tea shop. Before any further question, I walked out...and vanished somewhere in the French area.

Kerstin was on her way towards the seaside and we met in between and continued with our small-little expedition in Pondy.... :).......Cheers.

Forever Heber at Madras Day

Panguni Uttiram

There is a saying in Kerala called ‘Aram Pattuka’ that means the incidents mentioned in the book can happen in author’s life. It is not that I believe it completely, but after doing a documentary film called ‘Not a Drop of Rain’ on drought in the districts of Kalahandi and Naupada in Orissa, I have faced serious shortage of water at home. Well, if the saying is still true…u can see me married soon. Because two days back I finished a documentary film on the festival of marriage of Gods…Panguni Uthiram. :)
I shot this festival on April 8^th. Panguni Uthiram is an auspicious day in which the star Uttiram meets the Paurnami. (Full-moon day). According to the epics it is on this occasion that many of the divine marriages are celebrated. Well the details of the festival are uploaded in Wikipedia as my Field Report for National Folklore Support Center.

Before concluding this post I would like to to speak about what fascinated me in this shoot -the way which people responded for the interviews. I was so surprised in the beginning because everyone in Kanchipuram who participated in this fest talked like they are going for a wedding in their family. In fact Vanigar community members kept on saying that it’s their daughter’s wedding. A very personalized way of talk about the almighty…kept reminding me that GOD is in me, u and everyone. After attending the wedding ritual that went on for all night I too felt the same. I walked with Elavarkuzali Amman (Goddess Parvathy) during the whole event. After the whole function it truly made me feel it's my sister's marriage. A German scholar friend Kerstin who was with me all the time too said that she felt the same. The satisfaction I cannot explain in the work. It’s for everyone to experience being a part of it. I learnt a lot of new things with this documentary.