International relief organisations mount major operations in refugee camps in Assam after the massacre of Bengali immigrants in state election violence. Many immigrants are still leaving their villages for fear of violence from hill tribes.
In the backdrop of insurgency in Nagaland and the ongoing peace process, the Film looks at the life and work of Neidonuo Angami, a leader of the Naga Mothers Association, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2003 and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
Sangai, the Dancing Deer of Manipur, is based on Keibul Lamjao, a dance-drama choreographed by Chaaotombi Singh for the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, a constituent unit of Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. The dance-drama was first presented outside Manipur in Nritya Natika, an all-India dance-drama festival in Delhi organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi in November, 1985. Keibul Lamjao attracted critical attention for its sensitive treatment of a contemporary Indian choreography. Sangai renders the dance-drama in film the means of the medium harnessed to choreographic ends. Much shorter than Keibul Lamjao, the film retains the essential stage freatures of the dance-drama. Sangai tells of the plight of a species decimated by loss of habitat. The narrative comes from a Manipuri legend of wide popular appeal. Kedang, a chieftain, leads a hunting expedition into the forest at the king's command. There he traps a Sangai to fulfil a wish of his betrothed, Tonu, but returns with the prize to find her gone, abducted by the king. Sangai employs the legend to bring home its message of conservation. Sangai (Cervus Eldi Eldi), are a regional race of the brow-antlered deer. Peculiar to Manipur, they are now reduced to a herd of a hundred in the sanctuary of Keibul Lamjao. The peril they face is the peril of all species driven towards extinction.
Sagolgi Eigi Wari is an intimate journey that follows the trail of a society hit by armed conflict, caught up in ethnic politics and ignored by the larger mainstream consciousness.
The Film attempts to explore the role that the Maibis have played and are playing, their relevance and the threat to their very existence posed by the forces of ‘development’ and patriarchal mindsets.
Of the hundreds of versions of the Ramayana, Sabil Alun, is a living oral tradition of the animistic tribal society of the Karbis of Assam. The Film is an attempt to recreate the tale in a contemporary context where the animistic point of view gets prominence.
Three million Bengali refugees are crowding into camps in the frontier towns of West Bengal, and the Indian authorities expect the final total to reach six, or even seven millions. The cost of providing food, shelter and clothing for such a multitude is far beyond the physical or financial resources of India. Mrs. Gandhi has declared that India cannot be permanently saddled with an extra six million people. What concerns her is that a 'Palistinian' situation could develop, with Bengali guerrilla organisations drawing support from the discontented homeless in the camps and thus creating further unrest in an already unstable part of India. Some Indians are now saying the problem can only be solved by fighting a short war with Pakistan and thus imposing a settlement under which the refugees could return to their homes in East Bengal.
Rocking the Hills' is a journey into the musical traditions of the states of North East India. Music plays an important part in these states as it represents a natural harmony in the culture. As much of the parts are English speaking, musical genres like jazz, blues, country and folk get intertwined and hybridised with the local tunes and what emerges is a unique Indo-Western composition. The film features bands like Soulmate, Great Society and Abiogenesis and some of their music, which reflect the emotions and conditions the people in the North East share. The world record for the biggest guitar ensemble is also featured in the film.
Over the last 50 years the government has built 14,000 kilometres of embankments in an attempt to tame the rivers of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Orissa. Despite this massive expenditure, losses due to flooding and the area that is now vulnerable to flooding has increased. 16% of Bihar is now permanently waterlogged, a direct consequence of the construction of embankments.''River Taming Mantras' explores the technological, economic and political rationale that underlies the adoption of such flood control measures. The film argues that because these rivers carry an enormous silt load, they have enormous power. Attempts to control these rivers are unlikely to succeed. On the other hand, the vast sums spent on the building and maintenance of these embankments provides endless opportunities for the siphoning of funds. Ultimately, it is the poor people who suffer - migrating to other states, towns and cities in search of food and shelter.
Ritual Journeys is an intimate portrait of Merayk, an 80 years old Lepcha shaman or Padim. Merayk lives with his family in Dzongu, a Lepcha reserve in North Sikkim, Eastern Himalayas. He performs healing rituals for individuals as well as rituals for the well-being of the household, the clan and his village community. Cameraman Dawa Lepcha followed Meyrak and recorded his daily life and rituals between 2003 and 2010.
The different religions of the world are basically different means to help us to a common end, falling in love with God. People don’t hesitate to fight in the name of their religion. Religion is not a means to increase their attraction to God, but a means to prove their own superiority over others, “My religion is better than yours and so I am better than you. What the world needs today is sincere spiritualists who want to improve, not prove. The world needs people who want to improve the quality of their own devotion and service to God and to all his children, and not prove their own superiority over the other children of God and justify it in the name of God.
The Film documents an indigenous effort by the Angami Nagas, traditionally known for hunting, which has saved diverse eco-systems and the beautiful Tragopan bird from extinction in Nagaland.
Manas is a National Park and animal reserve in Western Assam. In the last decades two issues have become critical and have been successfully solved: the reintroduction of endangered species like the Rhino or the Bengal Florican, and the involvement of local communities to restrict and overcome poaching. 'Resurgent Manas' presents a dual narrative: on the one hand it provides samples of the various species that are present in the Park, while on the other it explains how the success of the Park has been possible through important initiatives. The result is a documentary that underlines the importance of a symbiotic relationship between all living species.
SOS Children's Villages has been present in India since 1963, their work developed rapidly all over the country and they started their activities in Shillong in 1999. Shillong is located in the north-eastern region of India, in an area renowned for its natural beauty and sometimes called the "Scotland of the East". SOS Children's Villages in Shillong is situated outside the city centre, on a green hill covered with pine trees. The land was donated by the Government of Meghalaya. Tehy continue to work closely with local agencies and community-based organisations in order to identify families who are in need and then provide them with the support they require to improve their lives.
Two long-exiled rebel leaders who want greater rights and a larger homeland for the Naga ethnic minority in northeast India arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for high-level peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia's longest running separatist conflicts. Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland flew from Amsterdam to New Delhi airport for their first visit to the Indian capital in 37 years. They met the Indian Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Thursday evening, but did not disclose what was discussed at the meeting.
Watch, as the 13 ngos belted out their anger towards the government on influx issue, and demanded the inner line permit to be implemented in order to tackle the menace of infiltration.
Carrying back the rice. On the way back we and many of the people carrying back loads of rice were caught in a thunder storm with heavy rain. But the Konyaks ignored the rain and we met people going once more to the fields to bring up new loads. One young woman we knew made four trips in all. (From the field notes of Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf: 1970-08-29)
An exploration of the indigenous religion of the tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh, their adaptation to new religions and to a globalised notion of ‘God’.
The film attempts to understand the relationship of a traditional hunting community, the Yimchungrü tribe of Nagaland; with the animals and birds found in the forests around their village, Fakim. It shows the significance of hunting in a tribal society and ways in which it is adapting to a rapidly changing cultural and ecological landscape.?Situated near the Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland, Fakim is a small village, where the people share a unique coexistence with the environment. In the urban world, the word ‘hunting’ has several preconceived notions attached to it. It is often perceived as a taboo and never regarded as an art or a tradition. Rooted in rich culture, this film intends to re-define hunting as a concept, as seen in the past, the present, and in the future.??The film explores if it is possible to reach a balance between the practice of hunting and the practice of conservation. The film does not look at the act of hunting in isolation, but reveals a complex web of interdependencies of the people with the forest and the society they live in.
The film showing the visit India's Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi to the north-eastern states of Assam and Meghalaya to personally see the progress achieved there under the 20-Point Programme announced by her.
