1. “From Saviour to Seeker- The story of Mother Ganga”

It will be the first documentary of its kind which is aimed at systematic and analytical depiction of various aspects and issues associated with Ganges such as geographical, historical, biological, religious, economical and social. It will be a detailed analysis of its slow death we are seeing now which includes factors responsible for degradation of the river, efforts so far to save the river, possible solutions taking into consideration some examples of river cleaning around the world. 

The film will cover the 2620 km long Ganges and its issue in different ways to have a complete view. It will cover the river drainage from start to end, starting from the Gangotri glacier and its dispersion with its major tributary Hooghly before pouring into the Bay of Bengal. The film will deal with issues which are associated with the river such as pollution, illegal mining, minimum environmental flow, sewage management, industrial waste management, agriculture, dependent human population, effect of dam construction, deforestation, sensitivity of Himalayan ecosystem, four lane road construction in the river valley, increased floods and landslides, aquatic life etc. The film will include the perspectives of various field experts like geologist, sociologists, scientists, policy makers, concerned authorities, NGOs and common people.

Objective of the documentary film – To delve deep into the complete ecology of the river through the documentary film and highlight the facets of degraded state of the river with an aim of spreading awareness and to galvanize a mass movement to take the right steps to save the river.

• The Holy Water of Ganges and its Current State- The Himalayas are home to innumerable herbs and medicinal plants which have the quality of curing terminal diseases. The Ganges originates from the Himalayas so it carries these medicinal properties in it. Moreover, various studies carried out on the river Ganges suggest that it is able to reduce its biochemical oxygen demand much faster than other rivers. The self purifying capacity of Ganges is due to its ability to retain high level of oxygen from the environment. Hence, Ganges water is revered as Holy not only religiously but also scientifically. Ironically, this life giving river whose water was once used for medicinal purpose has been abused to the extent that it is not even safe for bathing anymore due to high level of faecal coliform level and industrial non biodegradable contamination.

Some Important Issues the film will cover  which are affecting the ecosystem of the river

• Pollution- Various reports depict the high level of pollution in the river caused by the discharge of industrial effluents, urban sewage and domestic wastes. The water is not useful for drinking or bathing. Inorganic agricultural practices such as use of pesticides, insecticides, urea add to the pollution of the river. The Ganges has become one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

• E flow- Minimum environmental flow in the river is not maintained as maximum water is diverted through canals for agricultural use. It hampers the self cleaning capacity of the river and also affects the flora and fauna of the river. The self cleaning capacity of a river depends on the amount of water flowing in the river. Lesser volume of flowing water in the river which itself is polluted causes high BOD, COD and lesser amount of Dissolved Oxygen.

• Dams-The Ganges has both embankment and run of the river hydropower projects on its main tributaries i.e. Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. Embankment dams cause severe instability in the river valley and increase floods. Run of the river projects, which are considered to be of lesser environmental damage, are causing water diversion and less water flow in the river, which affects the aquatic life of the river and is the reason for habitat fragmentation. 

• Illegal Mining- Extensive and uncontrolled excavation of river bed rocks is quite prevalent on the foothills of the Himalayas where the Ganges reaches the plain i.e. Haridwar. This illegal activity is severely damaging the river bed as the excavated natural rocks from the river cannot be replenished. 

• Drying up of springsheds- Himalayan springs are drying up. These springs are one of the main sources of water in Ganges. This phenomena causes water crisis in the hilly villages and also accounts to low or no flow in many patches of the river.

• Deforestation- Trees are being cut extensively for construction of roads, dams and hydropower projects. This leads to the increased instability of the Himalayas and rapid soil erosion.

• Natural Hazards- The most destructive effect of these anthropological interventions in the river valley is that natural hazards have increased with more severity. In 2013, flash flood in Indian state of Uttarakhand killed more than 5000 people and it was basically caused by the dams obstructing the way of the river during heavy rain. 

• River as an ecosystem- Ganges is not a single river. Its drainage consists of many tributaries and it is home to innumerable species of flora and fauna which together build up a large ecosystem. Considering Ganges only as an energy and water resource has resulted in its present degraded form. Within the waters of Ganges and its tributaries, there are endangered Gangetic Dolphins, turtles, Mugger and crocodiles living in its waters, as well as the Bull shark and the critically endangered Gangetic shark down near the Bay of Bengal. The Gangetic ecosystem is disturbed, unbalanced and decaying rapidly due to continued and uncontrolled human interventions. 

• Impact on Life around Ganges basin- Due to heavy metal pollution caused by Arsenic, Mercury, Chromium etc., Ganges water poses significant threats to human health and many studies suggest that it has become a deadly source of cancer and a serious threat to aquatic ecosystem.

• Social Impact- Due to dam constructions on various locations on the river, many villages around it are displaced and no proper resettlement is being carried out for them. They are being disowned from their own lands for the sake of energy requirement

1. The English Medium Myth

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english medium myth

The film highlights the detailed current scenario of the dominance of English language in various sectors in our country, India.

It aimed to change the whole mindset about the medium of functioning in various sections and to formulate a proper strategy to overcome this language myth and dependency on English.

The introduction of vernacular languages and their promotion is must to ensure the all round development of the common mass and it will not affect the ongoing growth of the country. Moreover, it will help India utilize it’s hitherto unused talent for the development of the nation.

The film has discussed reasons behind the myth. Government policies, public perception and mindset, post colonial rule impact. Examples of economic powers like Japan, china, etc. where regional languages are the basis of development, importance and relevance of the use of regional languages

Systematic implementation and promotion of regional Indian languages in academic, official and other domains and gradual elimination of myth of superiority of English as the language of development.

2. Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj

The grand ceremony of Maha Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj was celebrated and attended by millions. This short film covers the various aspects of this holy event. Bytes from senior police officials and reactions by pilgrims are also included.

3. Who am I?

The film “Who am I?” highlights the issues of Pakistani Hindus, in Pakistan, as well as in India. The minority community of Pakistan has been subjected to gravest human rights violations and persecution for the past several years, which has resulted in the exodus of Hindus from Pakistan to India in great numbers. Although their problem doesn’t reduce after seeking refuge in India where they are stigmatized for being Pakistanis. 

 The feature length film tells the stories about different issues they face in Pakistan, which include conversion, bonded labour, attacks of temples, Hindu hatred in government approved school textbooks and kidnapping for ransom. After seeking refuge in India they suffer for basic needs, resettlement issues as no  assistance is being provided by government authorities, identity crisis, discrimination by the local people, local NGOs and authorities. However, the current government has announced several schemes for them, and a few positive things has happened to them in their regime. 

The film will portray the root cause of the issues of minority Hindus in Pakistan, starting from the partition of India where they became the citizens of divided India from the undivided India, overnight and for generations they have been paying the price of it. India has failed to raise  the issue of persecution of Hindus in its neighboring country on a global platform and due to which they are ignored community no has ever paid attention to. Also, India doesn’t have its own refugee laws which makes the situation worse for these people seeking refuge here. The film is a detailed story of their life in Pakistan and their their life after coming to India. 

The film was one of the most successful crowdfunded projects of the year 2016 and aims at global awareness about the ignored community.