In a world that has grown more dynamic and uncertain, where diversity and differences make way for standardization and uniformity, this film explores the effects of a rapidly changing landscape on people's lives and livelihoods. Set in Wayanad, part of the fragile ecosystem of the western mountain range in South India, the film takes you on a journey through a region that is witnessing drastic transformation in the name of 'development'. An adivasi woman's concern over the disappearance of medicinal plants from the forest, a local farmer's commitment to growing traditional varieties of rice organically and a cash crop cultivator's struggle to survive amidst farmers' suicides, offer fresh insights into shifting relations between people, their knowledge systems. and environment. Interwoven into these contemporary narratives is an ancient tribal creation myth that traces the passage of their ancestors across this land, recalling past ways of reading and mapping the terrain. As hills flatten, forests disappear and traditional knowledge systems are forgotten, the film reminds us that this diversity could disappear forever, to be replaced by monotonous and unsustainable alternatives.
Join us for a discussion between ecologist Samira Agnihotri and filmmaker Sunanda Bhat as they discuss the film and delve into the profound effects of a rapidly changing landscape on people's lives and livelihoods.
06:00 PM
October 01, 2023
