Look back, smile.

Interacting with all these children throughout our journey has made me realize and reminisce childhood’s innocence. Those carefree days, when we would all fantasize about growing old, and becoming adults, and now as an adult, all I can think of is reliving hose days. Children are impressionable and it is our duty as responsible adults to expose them to the right kind of information and entertainment. An early exposure to great artistic works can only do wonders for a child’s upbringing. Cheers to CFSI for providing us the opportunity to go on a journey of a lifetime and doing something good for all the children. Even if one of them becomes a filmmaker one day, because of that day we took a screening and some workshops, we can consider our work to be done.

NG

Sikkim: The land of no tax, no tobacco and no smoking!

Sikkim was the most hectic of all. In our dear imaginary worlds, we all had imagined (and scheduled it too in a way) that it would be the most relaxing of all. The only two female species in the group had also managed to squeeze in some time to go buy the famous wool and carpets with the popular Tibetan dragons on them. But alas! that couldn't happen. 

What kept us occupied were not beautiful sceneries nor the so warm and welcoming hotel rooms but the 'people'. Our team met people with similar interests and philosophies, doing there own bits in their respective fields. And anything we say about Gangtok wouldn't be complete without the mention of Cafe Fiction or Rachna Book Store. Thanks to Mr. Raman, the owner, we met so many interesting people, had intellectual discussions on art and design, cinema, reading and coffee brewing! Chicken Bomb, his very own recipe is something we all are gonna miss here in Delhi. And of course his careful collection of books.

In all six schools were covered in three days which included schools like Don Bosco and Taktse International, NGOs like Alpha Learning Center and Padma Odzer Choeling, schools in remote areas like Ivana Memorial School and Government schools like Encheui Government School.

First Day at Cafe Fiction

Rachna Bookstore above Cafe Fiction

At the Cafe

Nitesh and Mr. Raman

I've put this pic for the cutest TV I've ever seen, at the back :p

Taktse International School

 

Alpha Learning Center

Encheui Goverment School

Ivana Memorial School

Padma Odzer Choeling

Don Bosco, Malbasey

GR

No one knew where Malbasey was!

Its the most popular school, people knew about it in Darjeeling but funny-ly no one knew where it was! Don Bosco Schools are well known all over and so was Don Bosco, Malbasey but nobody seemed to know where Malbasey was. Relying heavily on our taxi driver to take us there, me and my colleague got up at 5 in the morning to leave for this school situated in the West Sikkim. Dear Kunchenjunga had also decided to show itself that day. So I was hoping it to be a lovely early morning drive, up and down the hills and catch the rising sun on the way. I didn't wanna sleep even for a second and our taxi driver made sure we didn't. Tarzan Daju (substitute for 'bhaiya' in Nepali) was full of tales. He was a talker and I was in full mood to listen to all his tales. From preparation of local food to brewing of local liquor we heard it all. He also told about his life before and after marriage with so much humor and a hint of sarcasm which left my colleague rolling with laughter.

By this time, we had climbed quite a height and could see the beautiful snow-clad  Kunchenjunga with sprawling gardens of tea beneath it. It was a sight to behold and we did capture it in our cameras as we stopped by for a cup of tea.

Kunchenjunga and the Tea Gardens

Tista River en route Malbasey

Tarun with Tarzan Daju

The school was quite uphill and remote. One couldn't even see the building until one reached the main gate. But it was a peaceful and a serene place to study in. With a loving Father as their Principal and a clean, green, peaceful campus, it provided an absolutely conducive environment for learning and growing up. The Father told me that being in such a remote location, the school doesn't have many visitors. And it indeed seem like a close-knit big family. They welcomed us with their traditional 'Gamocha' and an extremely sweet pahadi chai.

The drive back seemed like a long stretch of forest with wild plantations and river Tista on our sides. It will be a journey I'll remember for a very long time.
GR

Trust

When you are on the move, trusting people comes naturally when you have no other option but to do so
NG

Borders

We are in Agartala at the moment. We visited a temple( I have forgotten the name), where we saw the Indo-Bangladesh border, separated by an iron fence. On this side India, the other side Bangladesh. A thin line separating two countries, marking different ideologies, culture and history. A thin line between two nationalities. It was all the same on both sides, everything. A bird hopped from one side to the other, as the border patrol stared.
NG

After whisky,driving risky...After wine,driving fine

This is bit of a late post, but the time spent in Aizawl has still not sunk in. That view of the mountains, glistened with lights, like a million stars. Out driver Muana, well part driver and hip hop producer/ lover- he drove up and down steep hills, reverse, on roads where most drivers would find it hard to drive straight. Aizawl is a beautiful little town, nestled in its own glories, cut- off from the rest of India. The people are the most friendly I have ever come across and completely influenced by the west. Speaking to the local kids was a bit of a problem and we wish we could have reached out to them with our ideas, without needing translators who could only half communicate what we were trying to say. Definitely going back again.
NG

Deep Connexions

I was in kolkata again. Old chai and cigarette shops, cycle rickshaws, roadside card games. Met my altar ego, 'Deep', who studied at BHU. Trained in hindustani classical and plays bass for a fusion band.We spent the whole night listening to music from 3333,elsiane and stuff- full connexion.
NG

Shillong: The City of Cars

Our second stop was Shillong in Meghalaya. By the time we covered the four hour journey by road from Guwahati to Shillong, the city had closed. It was as dead as a Dodo and quite surprising for us Delhites who have the privilege to get up at 3 in the night and walk into a 24 hour restaurants to grab a bite! But this city slept by 8 pm.

St. Mary's School, one of the top most school for girls in Shillong was our early morning destination the next day. Meticulous dressing, polite and respectful behavior marked the typical personality of a 'Convent Educated' girl. Beautiful, spacious and wide campus had a rather simple looking sister as their Principal.

Animation movie, 'Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms'. 280 girls attended the screening which was followed by a workshop on story-boarding. The children made lovely and innovative storyboards. Having attended such a workshop and a discussion gave them a different perception to look at films & develop a new understanding towards cinema. This workshop will definitely help them look out and believe in alternative careers as they are called now.

The music culture as all might be aware, is very prevalent in Shillong. Though film-making is yet to develop and workshops and screenings like these broaden the career horizon for them.

Our second stop was an NGO - Childline. The feeling of us (the whole team) being there - being able to do something for the underprivileged, proved to be a little overwhelming. All the team members felt so much at peace, satisfied and happy to the core for being there and having had the privilege of visiting the NGO and do that screening.

A few team members also played a friendly football match with the kinds later which proved to be great fun even for the on-lookers.

Oh by the way, I called it the city of cars because everywhere you looked you saw cars and taxis. It wouldn't be wrong to say they outnumbered the people!
GR

When the warmth of an NGO spread in all our hearts!

Peace. Quietness. Warmth. Love. Concern. Care. Satisfaction.

I'm sure my team members will agree if I say that these words perfectly describe our little visit to an NGO, Childline in Shillong. It was a humbling experience that left us all with many thoughts and desires to do different things for this NGO but with the same aim and motive. If somebody felt like giving financial assistance then the other wanted to quit their job and stay there. Another was overwhelmed with his feelings of love and concern for the kids.

The kids loved the movie and the discussions further opened up their minds and challanged them to think beyond and reach out for their dreams.

Here's a glimpse of our visit:

GR

Guwahati at a Glance

Workshop and Interaction at St. Stephens  School

School kids with the standee of the event.

Modular classes that open up to become a big hall in St. Stephens School

Workshop with Mr. Avhiroop Mazzumdar at the Happy Child School

Teaching some basics of film-making at the Happy Child School

Workshop at St. Stephens School

CEO, CFSI and Secretary Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Sikkim at the Happy Child School

Dr. Shravan Kumar interacting with the kids.

GR

CEC-Dimapur (1/03)

So, if the area around our hotel was a bit meh, the little village where I had to go to the NGO was idyllic- with bamboo fences and narrow, winding paths. Mr Lohriu (pronounced as Lohur, if I’m not mistaken) was kind enough to come and pick me up from where I was dropped off. He took me to his NGO, Community Education Center School, which is supported by the Hans Foundation in Delhi. He was humble enough to tell me not to expect anything big from his NGO. I was greeted by a group of children, in blue; doing what children do best in school- have fun. We exchanged our profiles and I was then introduced to his lovely team of teachers who dedicate their time to teaching the ‘underprivileged’.
Well, the term underprivileged is a bit skewed. Don’t you think those kids living in big cities, getting chauffeured in fancy cars and wasting their childhood in front of their video games are the ones who are actually underprivileged?

The children had a jolly good time watching two films. The story-boarding workshop was fun as well, with teachers and children participating together. The children made better ones than the teachers, ha! The kids seemed quite interested in films and what was told to them.

Tomorrow, we have volunteered to help out Mr. Lohriu and his team with the mid day meal. Some food
and fun will be followed by the film-making workshop. We have already shortlisted our crew.

There is one kid who wanted to make it to the workshop, but couldn't do so since he goes around delivering newspapers at 4:30 in the morning and then finds time to go to the school. I felt terribly bad, but we have to start early or else we miss our flight. But, he can of course join us mid way. Man, what a wonderful kid. I hope the best for all these lovelies and the teachers at CEC.
NG

Rice Beer with Fish and Chips

So one of the groups, or rather, a duo from The Traveling Players have landed in Dimpaur, Nagaland. We have decided to call ourselves Fish and Chips, ha! Proceeded towards our hotel in Dimapur from the airport. There are army men scattered in different places all the way through. We reached the heart of Dimapur, and (excuse my French) boy what a s***hole it is. After a short walk, around the hotel, it dawned on us that there is absolutely nothing to do here. There are a few shops here and there, but it felt like a tiny town, without any of the charm of an Indian town. Hot, dusty, noisy and completely unaesthetic. Some really strange energy and vibes in this place. Add to that, the situation is a bit hostile right now because of the elections. We decided to stay in our room the following day, the day of the election results. Everything was shut, and we were pondering how to make the most of our time here.

Enter Alo, our room boy- a 22 year old Naga, shy, soft spoken, who became our one stop access to everything we wanted to know about Nagaland. He told us about the local delicacies, which included rats, snakes, cats, dogs and other animals you would never even think of putting in your mouth. This is a different PETA- People Eating Tasty Animals

He made it sound good, convinced us it was good for our health, but didn’t succeed in actually making us try any, well not yet. Alo very generously went and got us some locally brewed Naga rice beer, which has till now been the highlight in Dimpaur. A white colored drink, which tasted like a concoction of Soju, white wine and Toddy. Delicious!

We are hoping to have some good sessions with the schools and NGOs, let’s see how that goes.
NG

We Can Fly!

All this travel in flights has made me admire the capabilities of human intelligence which has crafted this giant vessel. Thousands of pipes, pistons and finely engineered machinery which work in tandem, in perfect synchronization to enable the miracle of flight! Flight! How humans have progressed from using arrows and stones to flying thousands of feet high, suspended in mid air. And all it takes is one loose screw or a tiny glitch to send us all down, but touchwood it all works fine (well, not all the time).
As Louis CK says, people really need to stop complaining about delays in flights, the annoying security checks and other trivialities, when you get to journey hundreds of kilometers in a matter of hours! You are sitting on a chair, in air! Let’s take some time out and appreciate the human brain. That tiny organ which you and me have, that has come up with the idea to freaking fly in the air. To add to that we can go to space, transcend the boundaries of our world using the same brain that also does the Harlem Shake and makes high octane crap like reality shows.
NG

The Traveling Players: Guwahati, Assam

The first stop for The Traveling Players was at Happy Child School in Guwahati and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the journey. We got a phenomenal response from the students and teachers. The auditorium was packed to capacity, with around 200 students. The day started off with much excitement and a little bit of drama.

After the inauguration by Chief guests Dr. Shravan Kumar, CEO of CFSI and Mr. Swapnil Barua, Secretary of the cultural affairs for Assam, we started the screening preceded by a brief introduction to the film and the work that CFSI has been engaged with recently. The students welcomed the opportunity to get out of the classroom, and embraced the magical world of Cinema with no hesitation what so ever. We screened an old classic, Halo, directed by Santosh Sivan. It was amazing to see children still enjoying the film, which we saw as children ourselves, around 17 years back! Art is truly timeless. The 15 students, who took part in the Mise en scene workshop, produced some quality work, which will be uploaded later for y’all to see. The storyboarding workshop was really fun as well, with some students creating some top quality storyboards with some really fine sketching. The children were quite eager to answer the questions asked to them as part of the quiz competition, based on the film they saw. Some DVDs were given away as prizes, which the students all fought hard for, albeit in some disorder.

It was amazing to see such an overwhelming response from the children, who are smart beyond comprehension. We hope to see such commitment in the other states to follow as well.

While half the team will continue with the screenings in another school and NGO tomorrow in Guwahati, two of our team members are proceeding towards Nagaland. Here’s wishing them the best of luck and hoping for a peaceful turn of events.

Oh, and we are facing some glitches with uploading photos on the blog, so in the meanwhile you can check them out on Cinedarbaar’s facebook page.