We partnered with SRIJAN for this film. Nitesh was our point person. He had a vision to capture the experience and success of the intervention in Karauli in film. We went through the studies and reports that the team had meticulously worked on. The intervention was broad in its scope. The ambition to capture and show everything on film was also high. The geography was diverse even within the same block. It was clear we needed to define some helpful boundaries for the film.
The SRIJAN team carefully brought together data of farmers who had participated in different interventions across villages. They agreed with our rider of not bringing only the most articulate farmers. Let us focus on what the organisation wishes to showcase, focus on those farmers who have indeed experienced what they want to showcase, and let us listen to what they say and accept that they are not saying some things. It will show us what needs to be said. This has been our philosophy so far on making the eight films that Neelanjana and I have done together. This is what we followed here too.
Equipped with the short list of farmers, a day was spent in reconnaissance to meet these farmers, see what was it that they were saying and how we could capture this the best.
Karauli is a diverse district – three very different terrains in one district. It brought back memories of another time for me when we were visiting after a drought and there were obvious difficulties communities were facing. When we asked one man from a village “Kaise hain? Sab thik” (How are you, all well?). The man smiled his reply that stayed with me – everything is very good. Now that I think about it I wonder – Did he say this because we had stepped out of a car, visitors to his village? Because he was being positive?
Back to 2022, our recce meeting with the farmers, breaking the ice and doing calculations with them helped us also understand how the work was held at the community. what came out – something which was perhaps not captured in the same way in the words and data – was the attitude and perspective towards agriculture. The shift from cereal to high value cropping. The realisation of the value of land and soil as a resource that was also to be nurtured, not just assets that value had to be squeezed out from. It was an area where one saw the demand for solar irrigation and sprinkler for the benefits that had been demonstrated. As Rajesh bhai said it in the film, development process is about establishing enabling like mindedness of the state to reach the community. Hopefully in the process, identity of their institutions is established so that the connect is not just personalised to those on the front.
Karauli trip cannot be closed without a description of the lovely breakfast – kachoris from Langra which kept us fuelled through the day. Some of the best we have eaten!
And skies so blue, with ever changing cloud formations that were a challenge for our colleagues with the camera, but a delight for the sun baked others.
The making of a film can be a learning experience. It allows for one to pause, hear and listen differently. This was the realisation at the end of this film making process.
