Of Bards and Beggers

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 13:51:00 GMT

Of Bards and Beggers
Buy Now: $295.00

Of Bards and Beggars documents in detail a musical ritual called Pabuji Jaagran, an all night epic recitation by Indian Rajasthani folk musicians. This story centers around a folk deity called Pabujib, a protector of livestock. The Pabuji legend is widely popular in Western Rajasthan among a shepherd community from the Rebari (Raika) caste. An oral tradition passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, the entire Pabuji epic would take 36 hours to recite. In the theatrical version, a performer known as the Bhopa performs a duet with his wife, the Bhopi. The oral recital consists of multiple stanzas which are also illustrated on a giant painting behind the performers. Along with singing the stanzas, the Bhopa plays a stringed instrument, the Ravanhatha. The performance starts at dusk and lasts for twelve hours. At dawn, the Bhopi and the Bhopa sing the final prayer.

The film not only captures the first documentation on video of an authentic, unstaged Pabujib jaagran in its natural setting, but it also seeks to examine the issues of commodification of folk culture and the resulting loss of meaning for the traditional followers of Pabuji. A poor community no longer held in great esteem, the Pabuji musicians now perform in the new milieu of India's hospitality and tourism industry. Signaling their rapidly-vanishing folk culture, they must play to an audience largely ignorant of the meaning or origins of the entertainment.

This is the first documentation on video of an authentic, unstaged, Pabujib jaagran in its natural setting.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference, San Diego, California, 2004

UCLA Vitas Film and Folklore Festival, 2004

Society for Visual Anthropology/American Anthropological Association Conference, San Francisco, 2004

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The Rising Wave

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

The Rising Wave
Buy Now: $320.00

In India, water has a deeply spiritual and functional significance. The Rising Wave explores both these aspects; worshipped as a sacred common while also being essential for generating livelihood.

The film eloquently presents a culture built on water being shared, used and managed in ways unchanged for centuries. Richly filmed in three different states of India, The Rising Wave uncovers groups that have been dependant on their local natural water resource for generations as they fish and farm for livelihood.

In the rapidly transforming economy of India, corporations now lay claim to control and determine access to this natural resource. A contrasting picture emerges; a rift between the two divergent views of water: water as a billion dollar industry against water as a sacred natural gift for all humankind. This spells conflict for the future.

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Documentary Educational Resources - Filmmaker / Desai, Yask / All Films

Of Bards and Beggers

The Rising Wave