I Cannot Give You My Forest

My roots measure the depth of this earth drawing succour from my ancestors. The Forest has been my mother’s lap. How can I give it away?

‘I cannot give you my Forest’ completes the trilogy of our films that give an intimate window into the lives of farmers in India.

This film takes us to the verdant forests of Niyamgiri in the eastern state of Odisha. It tells the story of the Kondh adivasis – original dwellers of these lands – and their symbiotic relationship with the forest.

When corporations knock at your door for resources, and the government merely works as their agent, the original dwellers are labelled squatters on their own lands. 

The invasion of outsiders is like the invasion of the Eucalyptus plantations – a pale shadow of the lush natural food-forest they replace. 

A more insidious invasion is that of fast food like Maggi noodles and Coca Cola- in remote hamlets that do not have much of a money economy. Enamoured by the aggressive branding and advertisements, young children clamour for this junk, ignoring their nutrition-rich traditional food – adding to the distress of the mothers.

A way of life is under threat. The film is a poetic window into the filial bond of the Kondh Adivasis with the Forest. The Forest becomes a metaphor for their sovereignty.

Fighting this concerted attempt to alter their mores of living, and their food systems, a set of vocal characters try to puncture the bandwagon of so-called development.

The story is a parable of our times – that rings true for all countries that have forests and people.

The film is partly observational, and celebrates the flowering of uninterrupted intimate conversations, and the emotional journeys of the protagonists.

There is no voice-over.