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Dear friends,

Docuwallahs2 member Dipti Kulkarni just send me a list of the
travelling Vatavaran Festival. It's my dream to host the same in Goa
around World Environment Day June 5, 2006.

Mr Joshi at the Goa Science Centre Panjim is keenly interested in
hosting the event, for some days around the June 5, 2006 World
Environment Day. By some lucky coincidence, there's a new auditorium at
the GSCP at Miramar, which is to be inaugurated sometime after mid-May.

Below is a list of films in plain-text format, which I'd like to share
with you.

These films are (mostly) the work of independent film-makers across
India, and tell a fascinating story about what's happening in various
parts of this diverse country. We hope this festival could boost
environmental concern in the state, which has seen a loss of its
earlier natural wealth and is already quite serious about green issues.
And who knows, it might even encourage some youngsters here to enter
the field of green film-making in the years ahead. (We have very few
filmmakers currently in Goa.)

Vatavaran 2005 was held late last year, by the Centre for Media Studies
in New Delhi. I had the opportunity to see some of the films and was
really impressed by both the quality and content of the same.

If interested in more details, contact Dipti dipti@...

Frederick "FN" Noronha, Journalist.

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S. No. Film’s Title Language Duration Subject Focus Film by
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1 A Shivalik Monsoon English 25 mins The film is about the
life of India’s most beautiful bird ‘The Paradise Flycatcher’
in the foothills of the Shivalik range. Rupin Dang

2 Eka Nishpap Jiwacha Ant (Just Another Death) Marathi
(Dubbed In English) 24 mins, 40 secs The film chronicles the
unintentional but unfortunate deaths of snakes caused by
vehicular traffic Vilas Kane

3 Elephant - God Or Destroyer English with English Subtitles
30 mins Elephants God or Destroyer is about the life and
times of Indian elephants. It brings the man- animal
conflict to the small screen and juxtaposes it with the
reverence of elephant as God Krishnendu Bose and Rajiv
Mehrotra

4 Indian Leopards-The Killing Fields English 52 mins, 40 secs
The film deals with the issue of Leopard-Human conflict in
India and associated Research Praveen Singh

5 Kanha-Protecting A Paradise English 17 mins, 30 sec The
role of forest guards in protecting wildlife reserves and the
hardships they face. Shekar Dattatri

6 Leopards of Bollywood English 47 min The Man-Animal
conflict is the focus of the film which tells the frightening
story of the leopards in Mumbai Animitra Chakravarti and
Niret Alva and Nikhil J Alva

7 Living With Giants English with English Subtitles 50 mins,
5 secs Relationship between man and elephant, the enormous
challenges faced by both in coexisting, in a changing world
and the efforts of project elephant in conserving this
flagship species. Ashish and Shanthi Chandola

8 The Jaws Of Death English 18 mins Plight of the wildlife of
Kaziranga National Park who fell victims to the vehicular
traffic on the 37NH during flood season Gautam Saikia

9 The Last Flight English 24 min 10 sec The Last Flight
nailed the mystery killer- vetenary drug Diclofenac and made
a bold effort to save the Asian vultures. Nutan Manmohan

10 Vultures: Death Watch English 47 mins Death Watch explores
the disappearance of vultures in the Indian sub-continent and
its impact on the communities dependant on it. Niret & Nikhil
J Alva and Pria Somiah (Supervising Producer)

11 Wild India 24 Hours English 13 mins This innovative
programme concept allows us to explore the documentary medium
in a fresh light, while making a timeless and fantastic
journey thorough the heart of wilderness India. Rupin Dang

12 Panna - Jewel of Central India English 15 mins The film
set in the central Vindhyan plateau explores the wildlife and
ecosystem of the Panna Tiger Reserve. Shekar Dattatri

13 The Policing Langur English with English subtitles 30 mins
The film captures the colourful vista of man-monkey
relationship and how the Policing Langurs are used to control
monkey menace. Ajay & Vijay Bedi and Public Service
Broadcasting Trust

14 Invocations to the Mountain Goddess English with Subtitles
1 hrs, 3 mins, 50 secs The film deals with issues in
Biosphere resource conservation and Management using the
Nanda Devi biosphere reserve as a case study. Christopher
Rego

15 Vikas Bandook Ki Naal Se (Development Flows From The
Barrel Of The Gun) Hindi with Subtitles 54 mins The film
documents the state violence on the people affected by
development projects in the country and calls for a more
sustainable development that is "not at the cost of people".
Biju Toppo and Meghnath

16 Shadows of Tehri Hindi and English with subtitles 44 mins,
.32 secs This is a film tracing the history of a submerged
town of old Tehri in Uttarnchal Anirban Datta and Department
of Culture, Govt. of Uttaranchal

17 Devta Activists Hindi and English with subtitles 28 mins
The film "Devta Activists" seeks to explore the role of
traditional institutions such as Devtas (Deities) in
conservation of natural resources. Sanjay Barnela and Rajiv
Mehrotra

18 A Second Hand Life Hindi and English (with subtitles) 26
mins, 26 secs A Second Hand Life gives an insight into the
electronic waste business, a dark side of digital age and its
impact on environment and human health leading to
environmental crisis in India. Nutan Manmohan and Public
Service Broadcasting Trust

19 River Taming Mantras Hindi & English with subtitles 30
mins "River Taming Mantras" explores the technological,
economical and political rationale that underlies the
adoption of flood control measures. Sanjay Barnela, Vasant
Saberwal, Moving Images

20 The Source of Life For Sale English with subtitles 58 mins
Impact of privatization of water in India. K P Sasi and Ajit
Muricken

21 The Way To Dusty Death English and Hindi with subtitles 28
mins The film is an account of victims of Silicosis in the
Agate grinding industry in Kambath & near by villages of
Gujarat. Syed Fayaz and Rajiv Mehrotra

22 Dance with Hands Held Tight Local Indian Languages With
Subtitles 62 mins This Film is about women and the politics
of their natural resource based livelihoods. Krishnendu Bose,
Earthcare Film

23 The Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh ENGLISH with subtitles 54
mins The film is about the Apatani tribes of Arunchal
Pradesh, which is environmentally conscious, and practices
environmental conservation. Anu Malhotra and Iqbal Malhotra

24 Victims of Garbage Dump Hindi with English subtitles 10
mins Through Rabia, an eight year old girl from the Bhalaswar
slum of Delhi, the story focuses on the cycle of poverty,
illness and deprivation that mars a population that makes a
living out of sorting garbage at Delhi’s largest garbage
dump. It depicts the life of people in this garbage dump
slum area. Plan India

25 Waterworks India : Four Engineers and a Manager English 22
mins This 22 minutes documentary takes viewer to meet five
unsung people, who have kept the intricate traditional
science of water management alive from the modern onslaught.
The documentary introduces the viewers with the technique as
well as the social management practices governing it. Pradip
Saha, Executive Director, Centre for Science & Environment

26 A Brush With Death English 16 mins This film also
documents illegal procurement and sale of mongoose hair on
which thrives the paint brush-making industry. As a result of
which the mongoose is brutally killed and is on the brink of
being declared extinct. Yet it is placed fairly low in the
hierarchy of protected animals in India being listed in the
Schedule IV of the Wild Life Protection Act. Syed Fayaz, RGB
Films and Wildlife Trust of India

27 Ragi: Kana: Ko: Bonga Buru (Buddha Weeps in Jadugoda)
Santhali, Hindi with English subtitles 55 mins The film
attempt to record how the lives of the people of Jadugoda
have been turned into a veritable hell by UCIL and depict the
gross misuse of power by the authority in displacing the
original inhabitants in the region, their utter lack of
concern for internationally accepted norms and safety
precautions in the handling of uranium and its by products
and their callousness of its disastrous impact in the people
and the region Shriprakash

28 Global Warning! English 20 mins Global Warning! Focuses on
the dangers of climate change. Ramesh Menon and TERI

29 Hunting Down Water English 32 mins Hunting down water
looks at the conflicting uses of water in our everyday lives
– both rural and urban. Sanjay Barnela and Vasant Saberwal,
Moving Images

30 Unquiet Flows the Chaliyar English 37 mins Unquiet Flows
the Chaliyar is an attempt to chronicle the longest drawn out
environmental struggle in India. The film documents the death
and destruction of the river Chaliyar - Kerala’s second
largest river due to industrial pollution. Sridevi Mohan and
Sanjay Mohan

31 In God's Own Country English 28 mins This is the story of
Kasaragode, Kerala known as 'God’s Own Country' and tells the
story of a community that refuses to leave its ancestral home
but instead stays to fight for it’s basic right to pure air
and water. Rajani Mani & Nina Subramani, Elephant Corridor
Films

32 Spandan Hindi 75 secs The subject focus of this animation
film is "Don’t pollute rivers". Vinay Rai & Meenakshi Rai,
Leoarts Communication

33 Words on Water English 1 hr 25 mins A boat carrying the
cargo of defiance begins an urgent journey through the
Narmada valley. For more than 15 years, people of the valley
have resisted a series of massive dams on their river, and in
their struggle have exposed the deceptive heart of India’s
development politics. ‘Words on Water’ is about the sustained
non-violent resistance, that almost joyous defiance, which
empowers the people as they struggle for their rights, yet
saves them from the ultimate humiliation of violence. Sanjay
Kak, Octave Communications Pvt. Ltd.

34 The Ridley's Last Stand English 45 min 30 secs The
Ridley's Last Stand is a poignant look at the lives and times
of the olive ridley and provides new insights into the
natural history and conservation of these mysterious
creatures. The conservation of the ridley will directly lead
to the conservation of all marine resources. Shekar Dattatri

35 Rainwater Harvesting Hindi/English 1 min 30 secs This
public service advertisement is to promote rainwater
harvesting as the lesson from the past, which provides us the
solution for the future. The spot revolves around the concept
of catching rain in a neighbourhood, creating a cascading
effect. Nandita Das & Saumya Sen

36 Birds Through My Window English 18 mins The month of May-
the time just before the monsoons break in, is the month of
nesting and a month in which all the birds suddenly came to
life, for me. Making this film during my summer vacations
opened my eyes to a whole new world of feathery creatures and
I realized that just by being a little more observant and
attentive to our surroundings we can have so much company and
so much more fun. It was a thrilling experience to find that
ours was not the only home in this compound. The film
documents this experience of finding a few of the many homes
and many families which were present near my house, many of
which I could see right through my window. My brother and I,
we built many birds’ trays and installed them all around our
house. We put food on it every day and observed each and
every bird that came and sat on it. We found many nests, and
we also found out how difficult life is in the wild, how
every thing is inter related- the birds the animals and the
seasons. There is a delicate web of life and we human beings
should not disturb it. Rudransh Mathur

37 Whose Water English 26 mins This film explores the notion
of state ownership of natural resources. In India the state
owns all natural resources unless otherwise decreed. This is
a story about Rajasthan where 1000 villages have been
revolutionized by bringing backwater into their life. Tarun
Bharat Sangh, a motley group of people, headed by Rajender
Singh acted as a catalyst and inspiration for the communities
and galvanized them to revive their traditional water
harvesting system. Dry rivers were revived and communities’
general economic well being swelled. It sounds like a fairy
tail and the results are almost like one! Krishendu Bose,
Earthcare Films

38 Troubled Waters English 16 mins The film tells the story
of the coral reefs of the Lakshadweep islands. It explains
how this vital ecosystem came into being and traces the
growth and diversity of the reef and the factors that
contribute to its health and well-being. The main thrust of
the film is to show how all of nature is inter-connected and
inter-dependent. The film enjoins all people to live in a
manner that will help to conserve and safeguard the world’s
natural resources for the future of mankind. The film was
also awarded “The Best of the Festival” Vatavaran 2003. Reef
Watch Marine Conservation

39 Kalpavriksha - The Legacy of Forests English 26 min 55
secs This film traces the evolution and discovery of
medicinal plants and tribal wisdom in India to show how
historically and culturally they have been an integral part
of India. Mike H. Pandey, Riverbank Studio

40 Magic of Life English 6 min 29 secs Compassion and love
are the main themes of the film. The marvelous and magical
world of creation and the intricate threads that bind all
living beings are the few things it touches upon, with the
intention to teach, a simple lesson in life. This film is
meant for the younger generation. Gautam Pandey, Riverbank
Studio

41 Shores of Silence - Whale Sharks in India English 24 mins
Shores Of Silence recipient of Green Oscar/Panda Awards at
Wildscreen Festival Bristol, U.K., in the year 2000-01
questions the rationale behind the mindless slaughter of a
special marine species already at stake because of its slow
regeneration. The aim is to eventually help create policies
to ban whale shark trade in India and find sustainable
alternatives for the local fishing community. This is the
first ever documentation of the massacre of whale sharks on
the Indian coast. Mike H. Pandey, Riverbank Studio

42 Timeless Traveller - The horseshoe Crab English 11 min 38
secs The Horseshoe Crab is one of the most unique animals
that the earth has ever witnessed. It emerged from the oceans
562 million years ago and has survived unchanged. If the
situation is not carefully managed, the risk of adversely
affecting the horseshoe crab population becomes a certainty.
It has to be ensured that the crabs used in the making of
valuable and life-saving medicines are handled with care and
respect. A stable horseshoe crab population is vitally
important not only to the biomedical community, but also to
the survival of mankind. Only sound and scientifically based
conservation measures will ensure a sustainable population
for the future and allow humans to reap the benefits of this
most unique marine creature. Gautam Pandey, Riverbank Studio

43 Lions of Gir English 52 mins ‘Lions of Gir’ is a story of
the coexistence of the last surviving Asiatic lions and the
Maldhari people’s tribe in the forests of Gir in Western
India. The film also showcases the intricate ecosystem of Gir
and the drama that is played out as seasons change and the
cycle of life unfolds. Nikhil Alva and Niret Alva, Miditech
Pvt. Ltd.

44 The Many Faces of Madness English 19 mins The film with
its images of contemporary ecological destruction in India
brings people face to face with the intensity and impact of
globalization and industrialization, of commerce and greed,
as it travels through images from different parts of Indian,
revealing glimpses of traditional water harvesting systems,
mining, chemical pollution, community forest protection,
displacement, deforestation, biopiracy and ecosystems. Amar
Kanwar, A K Productions

45 King Cobra English 53 mins This film explores the natural
history of this remarkable snake through the jungles of
Kerala. Romulus Earl Whitaker

46 Spunky Monkey English 38 min 30 secs This film documents
the behaviour and adaptability of one of India’s most
charming primates-the bonnet macaque. From and educational
and conservation standpoint, this film will enable people to
see how some wild animals can and do adapt to changing
environments, even an urban situation! Romulus Earl Whitaker,
Draco Films

47 Nagarahole- Tales from an Indian Jungle English 52 mins
‘Nagarahole – Tales from an Indian Jungle’ is a
conservation-oriented natural history film that graphically
captures the changing seasons of the forest, and the hidden
dramas that go on within it. Shekar Dattatri, Eco Media (P) Ltd

48 Rhino - The Indian Unicorn Hindi/ English 24 mins The film
is about the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros in the
Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Bedi Films

49 Miles to Go English 58 mins This is the story of India’s
forgotten backyards, of people brushed under the carpet of
indifference and apathy; a story of individuals fighting all
odds for their basic rights – a story of a thousand
revolutions in a thousand Bhopal. Greenpeace India

50 Aftershocks : The Rough Guide to Democracy English 64 mins
Lignite Mining/Sustainable Development/ People's Rights
Rakesh Sharma,