Game On Productions

What can we do with a wall, 16mm film, and a DSLR Camera? The frame you are watching includes footage shot on a walk in Bushwick, New York City. 

A 100 foot reel of 16mm film normally shoots 4 minutes of footage. We lost some of the film, and ended up with this 1 minute. A 16mm short, cut on a Steenbeck and projected on a wall. The idea was not only to learn how to shoot on 16mm, get a feel of the medium, but to play with a combination of digital and raw film. You watch a single shot of multiple shots. Something about the overlapping mediums that makes you feel like an artist. Honestly, this was just pure joy and experimentation.

The shot of graffitti that said “let it go“ was lost - not only to irony!

Looking Around is a compilation of observational short films or filmlets. Synopsis This series of filmlets encapsulate our micro existences in an observational style documentary format. As the day breaks, you meet a set of grandparents going about their daily routine. After they settle into a nap, you meet school children who are hungering for ice cream after a long day of classes. Finally, you go to a party with people who seek companionship and therefore join meet-up groups in the hopes of meeting like-minded folk. 

A note on the compilation. Last year, when Delhi erupted into violence, we were shocked that such a thing could ever happen. The naivete of our shock is absorbed by these glimpses of our life in the city. As people so intertwined within our daily routines and needs, we struggle to emerge into a wider public, and yet our lives are determined by multiple forces that lie far away from us. Hopefully this series of observations can help develop a perspective looking in- to look at ourselves from the outside.

What is the future for the elderly in Delhi? How do children and the public find a moment of solace in the fast-paced city? Why does it matter where people come from, what religion they follow or which caste they belong to? How do cities alienate people from one another? What could human connection look like? 

Animation and Illustrations by Tarini Manchanda 

We produced films that document the various learning initiatives, promoting and supporting the ideas of the institution.

This film was made as part of a short fellowship for Dusty Foot Productions and their collaborators. It was one of my first opportunities' to travel in rural Orissa, beginning to understand the broader landscape, the politics, and social realities. Apart from these, however, one was struck by the fireflies on the hillocks, a woman who had a narrow escape as an elephant tried to grab some leaves from the wall she was resting against, and the bright night sky with millions of stars we could look up to, after a long day of work. In doing the research and shooting, one was fortunate to learn from and connect with several admirable people and communities.

Year of production 2010.

This film was made as part of a short fellowship for Dusty Foot Productions and their collaborators. It was one of the first opportunities to travel in rural Orissa, and understand the broader landscape, the politics, and social realities.

Apart from these, however, one was most struck by the fireflies on the hillocks, a woman who had a narrow escape as an elephant tried to grab some leaves from the wall she was resting against, and the bright night sky with millions of stars we could look up to, after a long day of work. In my time doing the research and shooting, one was fortunate to learn a lot and connect with several admirable people and communities.

Year of production 2010.

Notes from the cinematographer:

After several years of working independently, I was given the opportunity to shoot videos for a production lead by researchers with years of experience.

Shot in the heat of the summer of 2018, these are a series of hour long performances and interviews around the traditions of folk storytelling in rural Chhattisgarh. We shot for a total of three schedules, with one folk singer taking up to five days to tell their rendition of the story.

The camera team was just me, which was thrilling- even though the research team supported and enabled the production. Could not have done it without the excellent and learned folks at Sahapedia. While the art forms themselves are celebrated, one is personally struck by the injustices of the lives of artists here. Many have lost their lands to government projects, including the craft museum that holds the artefacts of their history. A conversation with the gardeners at the location of the shoot revealed that they were now ploughing the land that they once owned. In this larger game of political and sociological state-making, wherein the tribal or adivasi is merely valued for their "folk" or "art," it becomes obvious that the dispossession taking place on another part of government action plans must take into account the importance of the heritage and culture being demolished in the name of development.

Aside from this aspect: we shot the videos with a two camera set up (two DSLRs), and 2 sound recorders, as well as a sound console- all operated by one person (it was tiring but everyone helped out and chipped in- I am never a one person crew!). At times, we used socks to stop the wind from spoiling our sound quality, at other times we found my muff, but it was exciting to make visuals that weren't all blurry. My tascam recorder definitely took a hit, and stopped working after 45 degrees Celcius in the sun, but hey, it was worth it.

Thankfully the local team and head researchers were supportive in many ways, and took pictures when I made the obvious mistakes or couldn't handle all the work they gave me, but the videos have millions of views on Youtube, which is a testament to the hardwork we all put in.

I don't have the credit here, because Sahapedia didn't credit it's video teams. Edited either by Kaavya or Danish, both very talented editors, this production was a revelation.

Take a look at one of the first videos, and search Chhattisgarh project by Sahapedia on youtube for more.

In 2018, Sahapedia and friends sent me to attend and cover aspects of the Hornbill festival.

Academics have written about the festival, which is itself very exciting and showcases several wonderful art forms. The economic support it provides to the State of Nagaland is to be acknowledged, and the idea of one tourist centric event in the State is important, as it limits the environmental and social burden of tourism to one month or so.

Through my camera, however, I observed many individual dancers and performers at the festival who are tired of posing for tourists who refuse to pay for their work. Others are oggled at, and condemned.

The friendly, loving and fun atmosphere was punctured when the performers were asked to give their time and energy without pay. So be sure to support the artists in whatever way you can!

I was lucky to meet a Bengali lady married to a Lotha Naga man, who told me about her journey to Kohima. She also showed off all the silk worms she had fried- we ate many!

Sitting in one of the bamboo stalls, the lady spent days before the festival looking for the special silk worms around the markets of Kohima. She wanted to sell this delicacy in the fair, because she knew it would be popular. She said that the entire city was out of the speciality during the festival. It wasn't as much of a hit as her dried meats, but it did well thanks to the many tourists and connoisseurs of the local cuisine.

The Hornbill festival is an insight into Naga history, culture, and the diversity of the region. This set of videos explores the contemporary events, their emotional quality and a real time, moment from the festival. It is impossible to completely absorb all of the many wonderful events, stories and showcases that take place here every year, so hopefully these videos give you a small glimpse of it all.

In 2015, asked to document the Women's Parliament in Delhi- little did I know how significant this would be. This video was directed and shot in parts by me, in parts by a camera person and friend who I greatly admire.

The event would allow women from across a spectrum of political, social and cultural life to come together and analyse the nature of power in their lives.

Documenting the women's parliament in 2014. Womxn from across India attended to discuss their concerns and imagine what 33% representation could look like.

The event was MC'd by none other than Kamla Bhasin who shared her wisdom gracefully and supported women from all walks of life. She became more well known than she already was- after Amir Khan did a show about her work. She inspired me to keep shooting.

The event was represented by people from across India, rural and urban regions, it presented the stories of those who are born with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, particularly trans women, women marginalised and subjugated for various reasons were also present.

1. The Greta Phenomenon, with media and papparazi running after her.  COP25, Madrid, Dec 10th, 2019.

2. Gandhi at the India Pavilion, COP25, Madrid, Dec 10th, 2019.

So far, the Indian Pavilion at the COP25 has been a large display of Mahatma Gandhi’s Charkha, and the well known quote by him that essentially warns against greed. This is India’s visible stand on climate change at the UNFCCC’s Climate of the Parties in Madrid. 

In action, however, if we are to go by the details of this documentation: India’s climate decisions have been two of the following:

1. Cancelling loans to mining companies. In light of the ease of business approach, this seems like another act in line to support the growing mining industry, but to pay no need to the negative impacts of the industry on people or the environment. See a detailed article on how mining is polluting here.

2. While sticking to the Paris Agreement and decisions that push countries to limit pollution levels to 1.5 Degrees, India is demanding that developed nations pay for poorer countries to be able to grow at a level that enhances their economies with clean technologies. Therefore, India is keen to negotiate for its potential to pollute and add carbon to the atmosphere. This stand has been a historic negotiating tactic of India and the developing nations.

Since both of these actions display a bias towards growth and development, contradictions emerge.

Despite the development of clean technologies and the historically sustainable ideas of Gandhi that are being propounded at COP25, there is an internalised hypocricy in the idea that:

"Every country which is developed today, has done it on the basis of fossil fuels," as said by Ravi Prasad, the additional secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change- in a quote here.

This is a limited perspective, because countries such as Costa Rica have managed to prevent emissions by making a commitment to grow forests as explained here.

Why must India only follow the European example? Why not implement people and environmentally friendly policies from across the world? A lay person is left wondering where the Gandhian idea of self-sufficiency or cottage industry stands today. If India is meant to develop in the European way, with COP funds to make sure that it can increase emissions to limits that are set by a global standard - then has India assessed the local risks of adopting these aspirations?

Even though India’s historical emissions have been lower than most of the developed world, and the target is to remain below the per capita emissions of the developed world, see more information here, it remains to be asked- India’s green house gas emissions have been rising, by 4.8% in 2018, have the impacts of this rise been calculated, even if it falls under the commitments made at the Cop?

Have the Indian decisions and pollution commitments taken into account the actual lived impacts of climate change? According to the World Bank and this summary of India’s NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution), the most vulnerable people in India are those without access to clean drinking water, approximately 92 million people. Is access to clean drinking water imagined and realised in the current growth climate? 

On the contrary, Prime Minister Modi recently inaugurated the Narmada dam and displaced thousands of indigenous people and farmers. Do these people fall into the beneficiary list from COP commitments or do the continue to be vulnerable? In light of their homes being flooded by a dam, the latter is more likely. 

The blind spot of the COP thus remains India’s colonial hangover. The hunger to mimic European lifestyles, industry and infrastructure without looking into indigenous methodologies, or the ideas being propagated from other parts of the world. Such news is now old, it garners distaste and politicians refuse to engage with the negative outfalls of their development practices, journalists are killed for their reports if they counter parties and politicians refuse to make amends towards a more just, equitable and safer country. 

India continues to ignore most of its people and the environment. Instead, why can’t powerful people begin to learn from the ideas at the COP, to take the youth, indigenous people, and women into account as equals in their professional and personal capacities.

Mission 70 Introductory Video

Alternatives in Rural Non-Farm Employment, Agriculture and Energy http://www.southsolidarity.org/alternatives-in-agriculture-energy-and-rural-nonfarm-livelihoods/ Role: Edit Length: 19 minutes Year of Production: 2015 Alternatives in Agriculture, Energy and Rural nonfarm LivelihoodsThis video is an outcome of a conference on Alternatives organised in the southern Indian state of Kerala in 2014, where participants  discussed and analysed the state of alternatives in 3 sectors; agriculture, energy and rural nonfarm livelihoods. From the promise of agro-ecology, the advance in cooperatives by the Brazilian MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement), Kerala’s Kudumbasree mission that is helping collectivise and create livelihoods for its poorest women, the importance of creating sustainable livelihoods in the rural nonfarm sector and the urgent need to democratise and decentralise renewable energy, this video by Tarini Manchanda shows us a glimpse of new visions for social transformation.

Action Aid Retreat Video