ಕಪ್ಪೆ ಮತ್ತು ರೈತ
Amphibians are one of the fastest declining groups of animals. The amphibian crisis is very real and ongoing - it must be addressed with utmost urgency. When talking about conservation, we cannot work effectively without understanding the perspectives of and collaborating with the people who live in and around the wildlife and places we aim to protect. These people, such as the famers living and farming around Manipal in Karnataka, live alongside the wild their entire lives and understand them with incredible intimacy. Their understanding of these creatures and places is beyond scientific knowledge; it's a spiritual connection filmmakers like me can only wish to have one day.
Back in the monsoons of 2017, I was on field in Manipal, covering a story on Citizen Science in Frog research lead by Madhushri Mudke. During the shooting of my film, we visited many fields and interacted with the people living there about their thoughts on the amphibians. It is fascinating how talking to them about the stuff we would usually talk about to people we work with shapes our perspective in such a unique, humble way.
My film "Frogs of Manipal" came out in 2018, and since then, my work has developed into something with a more holistic, multi-dimensional and anthropological approach. Here's 'Kappe Mattu Raita' (The frog and the farmer), a short documentary film to tell the story of the farmers' welcoming attitudes towards the threatened species and the researchers who are working hard to protect them.
Narrated by Darshana Suresh.
