New Delhi, July 31: THE `GREEN' crusaders are coming to town. And they are bringing with them not just the magic of nature but also that of celluloid. The wait for the country's only national film festival on environment and wildlife may be still some months away, but the fight for conservation has already begun.
New Delhi, July 31: THE `GREEN' crusaders are coming to town. And they are bringing with them not just the magic of nature but also that of celluloid. The wait for the country's only national film festival on environment and wildlife may be still some months away, but the fight for conservation has already begun.
While children will clearly lead the way this time, with a special segment being created for them at the festival and special workshops held for them, conservation is clearly the buzzword here, and making it an interesting drive to the festival will be a series of events that have already taken off.
If July saw lectures and workshops being held on rainwater harvesting and water conservation techniques in various parts of the city, August is going to be the month of waste management. India Habitat Centre will see some interesting panel discussions, with topics ranging from "Home truths for waste management in Delhi'' to "Emerging trends on biomedical waste.'' Also to be screened as part of the festival will be two films "Ecotoons'' and "The Green Dustbin.''
September and October will focus on the issue of forest and wildlife, while November will bring with it the much-awaited festival. Expected to see the participation of India's best documentary filmmakers, the last date for sending entries is July 31, but this is likely to get extended. While the nomination committee is headed by Bhaskar Ghosh, renowned film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will head the jury selecting the films for the festival.
An attempt to move away from the "gloom doom'' theory, as documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey put it, the organisers point out that "Vatavaran'' will try to reach out to the masses and create awareness about issues that concern them.
``The idea is to motivate people and enable them to work at that level, where they can make a difference,'' Mike Pandey said at a press conference on Tuesday.