editorial:
“Ritual Journeys”, a documentary film on Meryak, a Lepcha Padim of Dzongu, premiered on Saturday to an audience which might have come in out of goodwill for the filmmaker, but returned deeply moved and highly impressed with the consummate craft and sensitivity with which the movie has been put together. By the time the final credits rolled, it was clear to all in the audience that the movie was special, a quality which must have come through for the jury at the Royal Institute of Anthropology in London to select it under the “intangible cultures” category for its prestigious international ethnographic film festival.
The spontaneous applause that the filmmaker, Dawa Lepcha, received before the screening was testament to the respect he commands for his selfless sacrifices for Dzongu through his hydel-protest, and the ovation which erupted after the final credits rolled was in celebration of his adroitness as a sensitive filmmaker. Dawa explained that the movie was as much to record a way of life which could end with the 80-year-old protagonist of his movie, as it was about convincing the young to approach their heritage with more respect and inquisitiveness. “Speak to your grandparents, hear their stories,” Dawa appealed to the audience made up largely of Lepcha youth but not exclusively so. This appeal, he clarified, was for all youth, not just Lepchas, because traditions, rituals and heritage were fading away because of inexcusable disinterest among the young; a disinterest probably caused by a huge communication gap which is also accelerating the extinction of the old ways. The movie, even though it is about a way of life on the ebb, makes no attempts at romanticising anything, and this is what works for it best and makes it such a powerful film. It also breaks the language barrier with its English subtitles which speak fluently to the audience. The film is Dawa’s labour of love – he filmed Meryak over seven years – and the audience receives a moving insight through it.
The fact that no one in the audience even fidgeted through the 75-minute duration of the screening despite the hall getting very stuffy is proof that the youth is interested to learn about their roots. It is now important for them to realise that they cannot imbibe it vicariously.
Movies like “Ritual Journeys” are rare, and to take inspiration from it will require more effort because unlike Meryak’s commentary in the film, real life does not come with subtitles; the young will need to invest more time and effort to strike a meaningful conversation on where they come from. If even a handful of the young take the inspiration and begin the process, the journey will continue. All the best...
“Ritual Journeys”, a documentary film on Meryak, a Lepcha Padim of Dzongu, premiered on Saturday to an audience which might have come in out of goodwill for the filmmaker, but returned deeply moved and highly impressed with the consummate craft and sensitivity with which the movie has been put together. By the time the final credits rolled, it was clear to all in the audience that the movie was special, a quality which must have come through for the jury at the Royal Institute of Anthropology in London to select it under the “intangible cultures” category for its prestigious international ethnographic film festival.
The spontaneous applause that the filmmaker, Dawa Lepcha, received before the screening was testament to the respect he commands for his selfless sacrifices for Dzongu through his hydel-protest, and the ovation which erupted after the final credits rolled was in celebration of his adroitness as a sensitive filmmaker. Dawa explained that the movie was as much to record a way of life which could end with the 80-year-old protagonist of his movie, as it was about convincing the young to approach their heritage with more respect and inquisitiveness. “Speak to your grandparents, hear their stories,” Dawa appealed to the audience made up largely of Lepcha youth but not exclusively so. This appeal, he clarified, was for all youth, not just Lepchas, because traditions, rituals and heritage were fading away because of inexcusable disinterest among the young; a disinterest probably caused by a huge communication gap which is also accelerating the extinction of the old ways. The movie, even though it is about a way of life on the ebb, makes no attempts at romanticising anything, and this is what works for it best and makes it such a powerful film. It also breaks the language barrier with its English subtitles which speak fluently to the audience. The film is Dawa’s labour of love – he filmed Meryak over seven years – and the audience receives a moving insight through it.
The fact that no one in the audience even fidgeted through the 75-minute duration of the screening despite the hall getting very stuffy is proof that the youth is interested to learn about their roots. It is now important for them to realise that they cannot imbibe it vicariously.
Movies like “Ritual Journeys” are rare, and to take inspiration from it will require more effort because unlike Meryak’s commentary in the film, real life does not come with subtitles; the young will need to invest more time and effort to strike a meaningful conversation on where they come from. If even a handful of the young take the inspiration and begin the process, the journey will continue. All the best...
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