…The crowd seems to have taken a softer line. I was back and we were taking random shots. This success filming continued till we ran into a fresh lot of people who shared the same language and expression of speech-making as the previous one…
Cont. on Filmmaking – ’11 Weeks’ – the film shoot. Part-2
A mother walks with her baby past hutments along a narrow road that leads to the Candolim Beach.
The photograph was taken in the month of March, towards the end. The skies are very hot and clear. surprisingly, as a local development, it rained in the afternoon. when the clouds finally cleared around sunset – what I saw was a crimson red sky. It was quite an unusual sight in Goa for the month of March.
I happened to come across a news item on TIMES NOW news channel which is as disturbing as the carnage that shook this city a month back. In the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh a leopard accidently strayed into a village (presumably on the periphery of a sanctuary) in search of livestock or water. The animal after it was confronted with human populace was beaten by villagers till it lay dead. Then someone pumped in a bullet on a dead leopard just to make sure the poor ‘beast’ doesn’t get up and walk again. This is not the first instance. Last year, a horned deer waded through the paddy fields of western U.P, ruining some crops. The villagers surrounded the animal and fired at him rounds after rounds till he died. The forest officials on all occasion stood helpless in a mob like build up that generally takes place whenever a wild animal encroaches into a human area. Sorry, I would like to use a milder word – stray, instead of encroach as animals are not driven by volition of greed and profit.
Here is the link to see the savagery the villagers indulged into.
http://www.timesnow.tv/frmVideoDialog.aspx?VName=NV25172.wmv
Wild cats are by large shy animals. They avoid contact with human population sensing well that they are a superior and therefore a dangerous race to get into confrontation with. Having said so that cats are shy and would be happier in their sanctuary confines why would they venture out to risk their lives? Desperation of some kind, I guess.
One fact is well established here that apart from poaching another danger that could lead to extinction of wildlife is the confrontational mode the human race is getting into with animals and nature on the whole. In this context, the villages surrounding the periphery of wildlife sanctuaries therefore pose a grievous challenge for the co-existence of endangered species. It is often debated that these tigers enter villages in search of livestocks because there are no deers in the jungles! One must realize that the presence of excess human population near sanctuaries disturb the nature’s food chain system. What happens when there are too many people – deforestation takes place to prepare land for agriculture and other development in addition to requirement of plenty of water. When deforestation takes place, herbivores disappear soon because there aren’t enough quiet and safe grazing lands. If deers and wild bisons are forced to migrate, then what would a tiger do sitting in a jungle? The nature’s food chain system is very fragile. There is no room for laxity.
Deforestation also causes erosion of soil. Lack of soil fixation can lead to flash floods or rivers to deviate from their natural course of flow. Erosion, if naturally occurring can take hundreds of years to change or alter the topography and other related changes but if the erosion is manmade propelled by greed in the name of self development then I must say that process of erosion is converted into a process of destruction which can be accelerated to epic proportions with tragic consequences within decades.
The above paragraph is not out of context to the killing of leopard. It has happened in Nepal that villagers have reduced forests into patches of barren lands in their continuous search for firewood. These way rivers have been lost, and when forests lose watering holes these animals have no option but to migrate or enter our house seeking replenishment!
Another point I would like to throw open for debate is the nature of role these villages surrounding the wild life sanctuaries should (be forced to) adopt in safeguarding the natural flora and fauna in close co-ordination with forest officials.
The ministry of forest and environment should be proactive in arming itself to the teeth. They should rope in the local population to utilize their expertise and knowledge of the jungles and terrain and also train them as ‘animal rescuers’.
picture courtesy and video link – TIMES NOW channel
trying to get through a really slow connection to upload pictures of Kashmir.
refer ‘photography’ page
Srinagar greeted with a dry autumn and deserted streets. The tourists who thronged the markets and shikaras a few months back were missing. As a photographer I felt like the streets, the landscape too was barren, with a veneer of gritty yellowy dust all over compared to the lush greens three months back.
to read more click on the page – ’11 Weeks’ – the film shoot. Part-1
Divinity divided
I am waiting for a divine intervention for an end to all the problems in J&K that has been raging on and off for last 60 years. Just two months back when I was on location reccee with my Director, things seemed hunky dory. There were so many tourists in the Valley that we had to wait for our turn at the famous Vaishnav dhaba near the Dal Lake. Pahalgam and Gulmarg were teeming with tourists queuing up at the ropeway to reach the snow clad mountains. There was something festive this summer. Now, there is chaos abundant.
I am unable to shoot a film which promotes harmony and peace. What irony! I feel sad as a DoP; the director feels worse.
Like mortal human beings we are just waiting for the people to get tired with their anger so that peace gets a chance again. Just wait.
Nelze jinak než vřele doporučit. Samotný film je velice pěkně zpracovnaý a hluboké myšlenky jsou prezentovány v kontextu nejtěžších životních zkoušek. Je to odvážný pohled na smysl života a existenci vesmíru. Po představení v malém sále jsme vedli diskuzi s režisérem která sama byla velice zajímavá a ještě podtrhla dojem z celého filmu. Navíc se s námi režisér podělil o několik zajímavostí kolem vzniku filmu a o knize, která má defakto hlavní roli ve filmu. Opravdu to stojí za to. Nenechte se odradit tím, že to je sekce nezávislých. Doporučuji!!!
Translation:
There is no other possibility than recommend warmly. Whole movie is very precisely shooted and the big thoughts are presented in context of the hardest situations in life. It is brave look at the sense of life and the existence of universe. After the screening in smlall projection room there was a discussion with the director which was verry interesting and enhanced the impression of the movie. The director also told us some interesting details about making the movie and about the book, which acctualy has the main role in this movie. It really worth it. Don’t be scared by the fact, that this movie is in the section of Independent movie makers. I really recommend it!!!
I can’t guarantee that the grammar of my translation is perfect, but I hope you’ll be able to see what I wanted to tell.
Bc. MArtin Šimek
Student of Informatics
Ostrov, Czech Republic
Excerpts from R(EVOLUTION)-2
Later in the night the power supply tripped plunging the whole Palolem in darkness. I was sitting at the beach having drinks. A few seconds later as the eye got accustomed to the darkness I saw something inconceivable – a sight so beautiful and not photographable.
TO READ MORE CLICK ON R(EVOLUTION)-2 PAGE
excerpts from R(EVOLUTION) – 1
The shot which was to be taken at sunrise was being taken now at 12 noon. It was hot and contrasty and I had no recourse to lights and generators. There was haze on the horizon. I was sweating at the prospect of shooting something like this with no fill light.
to read more, click on the R(EVOLUTION)-1 page
R(evolution) | R(evolution)
Director: Mustafa Zaveri
India, 2007, 80 min,
This independent Indian debut will captivate audiences with its sunny location in a tranquil bay. There, the emotionally and existentially wounded protagonists find a new will to live through healthily exaggerated dialogues about life and the universe, in which Eastern and Western philosophies blend with science and a predilection for Frisbee playing.
