About
The Flim
This is a video presented at two levels. It is a film on the Indian peafowl
shorn of legend , folklore and mythology- a film on the live bird. It is
also a film which visualizes two prominent Hindustani raagas' Sarang' and
'Megh'.
'Sarang'
in Hindi, is a word which has multiple meanings,
one of which is the peacock. Some of the other
meanings given in the dictionary are, sun,
clouds, frogs, snakes etc. All these form an
integral part of the natural habitat of the
peacock and form the backdrop for the pea fowls
featured in the film.
The peacock
is a fine example of much that is Indian in
idiom, music and rhythm.
The film
is a sensitive portrayal of the bird's relationship
with nature, its habitat, and its interface
with the earthy village landscape.
It is
also a tribute to the music it lives and dances
to, be it the classical ragas or the clouds
and the rain.
The peacock was declared India's National Bird in 1963 but few, if any, films
have been devoted entirely to this magnificent bird.
This 22
minute documentary examines the Indian peafowl
from hatching to adulthood through a story
told by the camera. Peafowls are found in abundance
in large green stretches in many parts of Northern
India. The film is the result of observing
and photographing pea fowls in their natural
habitat for a period of over one and a half
years. Location shooting was done in the Deer
Park and Tuglakabad Fort areas of New Delhi.
- Where
do peahen incubate her eggs?
- What
colours are there on a peachick?
- Do
peahens eat snakes?
- See
what the camera has to tell.
'Sarang'
is also a Hindustani raag. 'Vrindavani Sarang'
is visualized in the courtship dance of the
peacock in the film. The soulful rendering
on the violin was composed by Joi Srivastava
who also uses 'Megh' raag to visualize the
rainy season.
Visualzing
Hindustani raagas through paintings was a tradition
in India in the 17th and 18th century. The
miniature painting schools of Pahari, Kangra,
etc. specialized in 'Ragmala Paintings'. Peacock
figures appeared in many of these paintings
accompanying a woman, lovely in herself, but
restless with longing. Peacock is used as a
symbol of the absent lover. The flowing rhythmical
lines and simple unaffected naturalism of these
paintings are highlighted as a finale to the
film.
VHS(PAL)
cassettes and VCDs of the short film are being
marketed by excelhomevidoes and are available
in leading stores in India.
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