Catching up with ‘Drishti – Documentaries on EPIC’ on weekdays for almost a month, was time well-spent. After tonight it’s curtains on the series, at least for now. EPIC channel, known for its genre-specific content presented in contemporary style, has been showcasing these well-made, and award-winning docu-features.
The cornucopia of subjects that ranged from the social and cultural ethos of India to its history and tradition was amazing. There is so much to see, explore and get mesmerised by is the message ‘Drishti’ conveys through the series, all made in India. The episodes should be familiar to those who follow docu-films - EPIC has collected and curated some of the best ones for its viewers.
Film actor Tillotama Shome, the host, is the face that connects the Drishti docus.
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The spectrum covered has been wide and fascinating. If ‘My Name is Salt’ (made about three years ago by Farida Pacha) traces the journey and toil of thousands of families for eight months every year, when they dig the desert to create salt fields, and are forced to move out once the sea washes everything away, only to return the following year for the same task, ‘Tomorrow we Disappear’ is a sad record of the lives of the people of Kathputli Colony, the last colony of magicians, puppeteers, jugglers and acrobats, in Delhi, which was to be demolished to give place to malls and modernity. Their lot is sad, but the cheer on the faces of the colony’s young girls and boys teaches us a lesson or two in grit.
Theft of electricity that goes on flagrantly on Kanpur’s roads, and the unfazed flouting of the law turn almost ludicrous in ‘Katiyabaaz.’ And focussing on the role of the Indian army in the Great War (1914-18), when eight million soldiers went missing and 20 million were wounded, ‘Black Pepper White Pepper - Stories from the trenches,’ offers unforgettable insights.
A brilliantly made documentary by Roopa Barua, ‘Riders of the Mist,’ is about the pony races of Jorhat, in Assam. Started by the British, this around 136-year old tradition still goes on with relentless fervour and enthusiasm. The riders aren’t regular jockeys but farmers and other folks who live on the banks of the Brahmaputra. Their horses are trained to carry load, but they turn them into race horses at the annual event! The British had first invited them to participate in the races and it has been going on ever since. Every February it’s a carnival out there in Jorhat! Stunning visuals of lives of ordinary young men, who look forward to participate in the pony-racing bonanza every year, make it a must-watch.
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Murals and wall paintings, still intact in the ancient houses and havelis, take the viewer on a pictorial journey through the Western Himalayas - the Garhwal region around Dehradun, in Shashwati Talukdar’s ‘Wall Stories,’ and present indelible impressions of the religion, politics, culture and history of the region. Talukdar introduces imaginary conversations between the filmmaker and the paintings to put things in perspective.
For starters, you could catch up with the trailers and teasers, and then select those you wish to subscribe to (if they aren’t already available on YouTube). The choice is wide.