Myar himala : Do pahlu - vikas aur palayan

Abstract

This is a short documentary film about the situation of development in himalayan state of Uttarakhand. This mountainous region has been witnessing a statewide migration of people from rural areas to the urban ones. At the heart of this phenomenon is the skewed nature of development, which is not the right fit for this region. Various uncurbed developmental activities, like building roads and dams are largely being carried out in an unscientific manner. But there is another form of development that is widely accepted throughout the rural Uttarakhand. A large number of people in various regions of the state have continued a traditional farming practice called Baranaja.1 The regions where this practice was continued, saw a significantly less migration in search of livelihood. This film is an attempt to explore this dual nature of development seen in the region, using the phenomenon of migration as an anchor. Initially, a lot of different project ideas were explored in the third semester of this course. All of these ideas were related to some form of social or environmental issues faced by people in Uttarakhand. After a while, under the guidance of my guides, this idea was selected although at that time, it was not fully formed. Prof. Vishvajit Pandya and Prof. Madhumita mazumdar made sure that the idea is implemented only after it has been researched well and fully understood by me. The research and insights I was directed to before embarking on this project, was crucial in shaping the final narrative.