BHARATI PAWASKAR
The earth and mankind are both facing too many problems in the present era and they need to be addressed urgently. It’s not enough that individually we contribute our bit to save the environment as the issues have scaled up hugely and the world leaders, policy makers and politicians must join hands together to resolve them. In today’s times of digital explosion, it’s easy to reach out to a larger audience but there’s too much information out there and it’s hard to pick up the right thing from YouTube channels, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and other such social media.
“Our film which was screened at IFFI 2018 grabbed a lot of attention of the mixed audience that viewed it at INOX. With a strong message that we must wake up and look around of the devastation that we, humans, have created on the planet and which is now leading us towards a major disaster, the film has succeeded to sow a seed in the young minds that if we do not start working towards conserving our nature right now, it’s time to say goodbye to Mother Earth,” added Gautam, who has co-produced the film along with his father. Gautam is the writer and director too along with wife Doel.
“Our youth today is aware and alert. This younger generation really wants the change to happen. But sadly, due to lack of political will as well as ignorance and illiteracy (regarding conservation of nature), the pollution problems are mounting,” laments Mike Pandey, Indian filmmaker who specialises in films about wildlife and the environment. While speaking to The Goan, Mike who is here at IFFI with son Gautam Pandey and daughter-in-law Doel Trivedi for the screening of his award winning Indian wildlife conservation film ‘Gyamo - Queen of the Mountains’ - spoke at length on the pollution problems in Goa and his future projects in the state.
(Written and directed by Doel Trivedi and Gautam Pandey and produced by Riverbank Studios - www.riverbankstudios.com, the film ‘Gyamo - Queen of the Mountains’ will be aired on Animal Planet at 9 pm on November 27)
Shot at the amazing landscape of Ladakh by the father-son wildlife filmmaker duo Mike and Gautam Pandey, the film is about discovering the lost trail of a snow leopard and her two cubs and while doing so, encountering with the many challenges that surround the endangered cat. The film has touched on many serious conservation issues too and the Pandeys were happy that their film has struck the right chord and is talked upon.India’s highest landfill on the outskirts of Leh has shocked many people who have seen the visuals in the film.
The film not just narrates the story of a snow leopard Gyamo and her cubs, it also highlights various human caused factors which are disturbing their life in a very endearing way. The success of the film is spelled in awards and recognitions that the film bagged in various film festivals. In March the film won at the United Nations recognised - Jackson Hole Big Cats Festival 2018. It was winner at the BANFF Mountain Film Festival too. The film was official selection at WCFF, New York and also at the Jagaran Film Festival, Mumbai as well as at The Quotes from the Earth Film Festival, New Delhi.
The film has touched on many serious conservation issues that are being addressed for the first time. The process of filming took two years as the team had to choose the right story first and then there was lot of research involved and funding also was a problem. “Thankfully Animal Planet showed interest in our project, they bought the rights in advance for screening in India and so the film saw the light of the day,” deliberates Doel who points out that unless there is funding from government, individuals or corporate, wildlife film making is really a tough job. “We got support from the Wildlife Conservation Department at Ladakh as they were fully aware what’s going in their land. Without their support it would have been difficult for us to continue,” she adds with gratitude.
Gautam is excited of his next project - the Himalayan brown bears in Ladakh, as it was his long-standing dream to work on the coast of India. “Goa has her own environmental issues too, and we are looking forward to do something back home too,” declares Gautam who has made Goa his base now. Delhi has crossed the limits of air pollution and it’s difficult to breathe there. Hence the Pandey couple has shifted to Goa with their daughter but Goa has her own issues too - of mining, garbage, marine life degradation, water crises, mangrove cutting, sand mining, river and lake silt etc.
“We have to take up these serious issues and handle them through short films and documentaries which reach out to larger audience who can raise a voice against these life-threatening issues,” says Mike who worries that by 2048 the oceans worldwide would be empty, without any fish and only plastic sitting at its bottom, points out that 35 per cent of the catch is dumped in the sea as trash to replace with prawns which have more demand than other type of fish.
Single use plastic should be banned. The roads in Himalayas have become dumping yards. There’s need to make the mountains, seas, forests and rivers plastic free. There should be government policies put in place and strict actions taken against those who don’t abide by the rules. “We wish to explore our sea coast too,” expresses Gautam and Doel, both of whom are certified divers. They wish to dive at Bogmalo beach to find out how polluted Goan coastal sea is and what could be done to save it from worsening further.
