MOVING UPSTREAM : GANGA
Director / Co-Camera / Co-Editor
Feature Documentary
'From reverence to ignorance, we live in an age where the idea of co-existence will supposedly hit home only when there’s nothing left to destroy or fight over. Great civilizations have flourished on the banks of rivers across the world, bringing to life and supporting generations of people and their needs. A sincere inquiry is all that is required to realize the plight of our rivers and notice our appalling treatment of them. The ‘Moving Upstream’ series is an attempt to document the stories of the rivers of India, bringing out a first-person narrative of the river’s condition and the life of the people of the basin.
Starting from Ganga Sagar in West Bengal and finishing at Gangotri in Uttarakhand - 'Moving Upstream: Ganga' was filmed over 6 months on a 3000km walk along River Ganga by Siddharth Agarwal, an Aerospace Engineer from IIT Kharagpur. Part of Veditum India Foundation’s Moving Upstream project, the walk took place between June 2016 and April 2017.
It explores the idea of walking, people’s responses to a walking traveler in this fast paced era and an evolving relationship with the natural world. The film amplifies voices and concerns of the riparian community - a severely under-represented section of society in India.
This documentary also successfully breaks out of the stereotypical mould of religion, religious centres and urban India into which the Ganga has been forcefully restricted through politics and popular media - much like the numerous dams on the river itself that hold back its true nature. A modern day journey along an ancient river.
This documentary also successfully breaks out of the stereotypical mould of religion, religious centres and urban India into which the Ganga has been forcefully restricted through politics and popular media - much like the numerous dams on the river itself that hold back its true nature. A modern day journey along an ancient river.
For more info, please check out veditum.org
