Ithu Ente Bhoomi (It’s my Earth), a 17-minute documentary produced as part of the ‘Paristhithi’ campaign of the State Department of Environment and Climate Change, was released at a function held at Nila Theatre here on Saturday by Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor. The documentary was directed by P.Y. Anilkumar, Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre Environment Vision, an NGO based at Venganoor here.
The documentary seeks to spread the message of environmental conservation, particularly among the youth.
With special focus on themes relevant to the capital city, the documentary deals with a range of problems, most of which are rooted in the lack of an effective means of waste management.
Mr. Tharoor promised at the function that steps would be taken to ensure that the documentary was screened at educational institutions across the State. The documentary was produced by the State government, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre, a collective of environmental activists called ‘Green Community’ and the Nehru Yuva Kendra, and is dedicated to Rachel Carson, the author of Silent Spring , a book released in 1962 and widely heralded as the spark that helped launch the American environmental movement.
“The film conveys ideas that advocate personal hygiene and stressed the needs of future generations,” said Mr. Anilkumar, adding that it also delved into the adverse effects of plastic and e-waste.
The children of the S.R.S. Upper Primary School at Pallichal were involved in the making of the documentary. Mr. Anilkumar said the crew had visited around 200 homes in the vicinity of the school and distributed stickers and badges on the need for better sanitation.
“After the exam season, we plan to screen the documentary at schools through the school ‘paristhithi’ clubs,” he added.
The film will be distributed to the youth development centres in the district through the Nehru Yuva Kendra.
