00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:21,880
What makes me who I am
is not my name or my nationality

00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,960
It is the dreams that I dream,
the language of my love,

00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:32,880
the smell of the earth after the rain
and the flavours that remind me of my land.

00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,400
My roots measure the depth of this earth,
drawing succour from my ancestors.

00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,160
The Forest has been my mother's lap.

00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:46,080
How can I give it away?

00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:57,800
I cannot give you my Forest
is the story of the Kondh and their Forest.

00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:02,080
The Kondh are the original dwellers (Adivasis)
of an idyllic paradise called Niyamgiri,

00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,000
in the state of Odisha in India

00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,080
Niyamgiri is under attack
from marauding corporations

00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,640
and a democratically elected government
for its minerals and its pristine forests.

00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:38,280
I cannot give you my Forest

00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:44,640
A film by

00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,080
Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl

00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,960
Food

00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,320
What They Can Monetise

00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,760
Is What We Grow

00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:37,440
The Forest Sings A Different Song

00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:43,200
Come my friend.
Come my pristine flower.

00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,440
Come my pristine flower

00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,800
Our existence depends on Niyamgiri.

00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,400
Come my pristine flower

00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,520
Our existence depends on Niyamgiri.

00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,640
Come my pristine flower

00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:10,120
We survive on forest food.

00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:13,200
Come my pristine flower

00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,840
It feeds me and my family.

00:04:18,840 --> 00:04:22,000
Come my pristine flower

00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,640
We collect food from the entire forest.

00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,200
Come my pristine flower

00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:36,200
The forest has no issues with it.

00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,800
Come my pristine flower

00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:44,880
We collect greens and honey
from the forest.

00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,600
Come my pristine flower

00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,400
We also get greens and mushrooms.

00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,000
Come my pristine flower

00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,920
It feeds me and my family.

00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,600
Come my pristine flower

00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:14,600
What is this?
This is Hemi Konda. But we eat all of these.

00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:19,080
In times of drought,
forest food has sustained us.

00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:26,120
When I was your age,
there was a terrible drought.

00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,800
There was no rain.
It really was a terrible drought.

00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,160
Twice a day, I used to dig
for tubers and roots in the forest.

00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,480
Twice I got hurt while digging for tubers and roots.

00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:48,960
At the time of famine, we had nothing but this...

00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:59,320
There was no rice, millets or pulses at that time.
We survived on this.

00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:04,160
Now that you have newer food options...
you do not realise its worth.

00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,280
We cook the SITI green with tamarind.

00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:14,600
We mix GONDRI and AAMBLI greens
together and make their dry powder.

00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:22,960
That powder is cooked with garlic, chilly etc.
and eaten with rice.

00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:31,880
These are sweet potato leaves.
This is MUNGA green and this is SARRU green.

00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:41,400
This is JALANGA green.
It is cooked with the SARRU green.

00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:29,960
What else shall we eat?
We will not survive without the forest.

00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:35,440
We get a variety of greens, tubers and fruits
throughout the year.

00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:40,720
We get BORDA green, GONDRI green
and a variety of greens.

00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,520
We are healthy because of
this forest food.

00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:49,400
People who consume processed
food are suffering from various ailments.

00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:54,400
We eat forest food,
that is why we are so fit and healthy.

00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:01,560
The use of pesticide and fertilizers in agriculture
is causing a variety of ailments in people.

00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:07,560
Since we use no pesticides and fertilizers...

00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:13,560
...and survive primarily on
pesticide-free forest food...

00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:18,640
...we are so healthy and strong.
We have no ailments.

00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:25,440
We do not depend on anybody.
We go to the forest everyday.

00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:31,400
The Forest is like our parents.
It has nurtured and raised us.

00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:38,080
My biological mother gave birth,
the forest mother sustained me.

00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,760
Both are equally my mothers.

00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:56,120
I shall give these fruits to my son- Chintu.

00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:03,880
When I go home, my son shall ask -
What have you brought for me from the forest?

00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:15,880
We had this when we were children.
Now, my son enjoys the same fruit.

00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:24,120
Let me take this fruit home in a leaf.
Otherwise, it will spill in the forest.

00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,640
My child will be happy to have this fruit.

00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:34,200
Let us go deeper into the forest
to dig for the roots and tubers.

00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,880
Come! Let us have a conversation
beneath this Mahua tree.

00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:01,160
I have AMBRI green and you have
got TAPDI green. Give it to me.

00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,320
JOBA green is growing there.
Can you please collect it.

00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:10,080
Let us relax for a while
before we go to the JUDUNG field.

00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:13,440
Then let us have some RAAGI porridge.

00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,000
We will have to rest for a while
after having it.

00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:21,520
I can get all these greens,
even if I have no money.

00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:26,440
Why should we go the market
and waste money?

00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,800
If we go to the forest,
an axe or a spade is all we need.

00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,480
Where has Amma gone?
It has been so long.

00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:37,200
What are you doing there?
Come here.

00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,680
We will go to the river
to catch some crabs tomorrow.

00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:48,720
My son craves for packaged snacks,
when he sees others having it.

00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:54,000
Even if we had the money,
why should we buy it?

00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:59,520
We should use our judgement
even if they throw tantrums.

00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,440
We should only give them forest food.

00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:10,520
That is why I have collected
these berries for my son.

00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:17,640
My son must be looking for me.

00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:23,320
He will be very happy to have them.

00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,680
How old is your son?

00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:29,440
He is a young lad.

00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:35,200
Even at night I pray to God
that he should understand our situation.

00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,920
We are so concerned about
how our children will lead their lives.

00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:43,040
My husband keeps asking me for the
money missing from his pocket.

00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,320
Unlike the father,
a mother knows her child inside out.

00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:53,080
I tell my husband to raise our son
and I will raise our daughter.

00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:59,040
I am taking this for him, but he will
still complain about the meagre quantity.

00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:03,920
I do not know how will people
react to our story.

00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,160
My son will be inquisitive
about these berries.

00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,800
Then I will tell him
about the GATULI tree.

00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:17,280
He is a child, but he should realize...

00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:22,880
...that he will have to savour various
roots and greens in an ADIVASI's house.

00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:30,880
He can do without other things
but he definitely needs to have pulses.

00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,640
We do not purchase food.

00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,080
Before we leave,
let us offer a prayer to our Goddess.

00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,920
Here we are looking for roots and tubers,
there your son is crying for you.

00:14:54,920 --> 00:15:00,120
Let him cry if he wishes to,
but I will go to BAMINIBOYRUS...

00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:05,320
...and pay my tribute to her
for providing me enough to eat and wear...

00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:09,880
...and for taking care
of me and my family.

00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,320
Will your Goddess offer you ready to eat
tubers and roots?

00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:20,920
- Even if she does not give roots and tubers,
she will bless me with wisdom.

00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:28,160
She will guide me how to deal
with the ignorance of my children.

00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:33,760
I am so concerned that
I am losing sleep.

00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,440
You are concerned about your son.
What about the other children?

00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:42,320
What can I do? I have lost so many sons.
He is the only one living.

00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,720
That is why I am so concerned
about my children.

00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:52,080
I suffer whenever
I give him a thrashing.

00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:56,840
His elder sister keeps reminding me
of the deaths of all their siblings.

00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,040
That is why I am so concerned
about them.

00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:04,360
I keep wandering to escape listening
to my kids talk about the deaths.

00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:08,280
Yet, sometimes I thrash them
when I get upset with all this.

00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:20,320
When I see other children,
I pine for the offspring I have lost.

00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,640
I have to toil everyday...
otherwise who would feed my children.

00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,520
I have one daughter.

00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:33,040
She works in the fields
to support the family.

00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:36,120
I do not want her to work
at this tender age.

00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:40,120
Her father asks me what I do
with the money she earns.

00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,320
It is barely enough
to buy some provisions.

00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:47,120
I am reluctant to spend her money.

00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:06,200
O Forest Goddess!
Please alleviate my grief.

00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:13,720
I am going to the forest.
Please take care of me.

00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:21,640
You have given me birth in this clan.
You have given me this form.

00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:29,160
You have created a bountiful world for me.

00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:37,160
You created Brahma- the creator, and Yama.
You are the ultimate creator.

00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:44,440
You created them and they
created us in turn.

00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:52,000
You gave us the capacity to procreate.
You also gave us life.

00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:59,560
You created five fingers in our hands and feet
to enable us to walk and hold things.

00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:07,320
You gave us a lot of tubers
and a variety of food to eat.

00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:14,840
You judge what is good or evil.

00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:22,880
Those who exploit the forest
shall bear the curse

00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:16,760
As the forest department is clearing the forest
for teak plantation...

00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:21,560
...the availability of forest food has gone down.

00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:29,000
We have survived on the forest for generations.

00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:39,440
This nutritious forest food enables us
to endure extreme physical labour.

00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:47,320
A breakfast of millets and tubers
keeps us going throughout the day.

00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:06,880
Our survival has always been linked to forest food

00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:12,880
Even today, we get a variety of greens,
fruits and tubers from the forest.

00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:18,560
We get PEETA root, GONDRI green,
GORDI green and BORDA green...

00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:24,280
Our survival depends on the forest.

00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:29,720
You can take our Forest
only after you kill us.

00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:22,720
We live mindfully - practising mixed cropping
and harvesting vegetables from the forest.

00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:29,800
We sell the surplus produce
to buy grocery and clothes.

00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:35,440
We are free from the clutches of the market.
We are self sufficient.

00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:24,280
We have started growing paddy and
getting rice through the PDS...

00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:27,720
Now, all of us are consuming rice
sold under Public Distribution System.

00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,720
Lakshmi Sikoka,
Khalpadar, Rayagada

00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:34,200
We also get old-age pension
from the government.

00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:41,760
Earlier, in the forest we grew
a variety of minor millets...

00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,920
and these crops sustained us over generations.

00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,200
This is why we can never forsake the forest.

00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,680
We cannot survive if we do not partake of
Finger-millet porridge.

00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:02,160
The daily partaking of Finger-millets
underlines our identity as adivasis.

00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,560
Little millet, RAAGI and so much more
grows in the forest.

00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,040
Come my pristine flower

00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:18,120
A variety of pulses and millets grow here.

00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,640
Without the Forest, where will we get
such diversity in food?

00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:34,160
The forest is bountiful.

00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:43,720
We shall be cursed, if we ever
sell out our forest.

00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:11,760
Let us look for the roots.

00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,360
Here!
Let us dig here.

00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:42,960
Only the one who savours the roots,
knows that it is worth the hard work.

00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:58,680
We do not have to beg.
We do not have to depend on anybody.

00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:04,360
The Forest takes care of our needs.

00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:18,600
I am tired, you dig for a while.
- Sure.

00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,560
Oh! We have found a good one.

00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:41,560
Lets find some more.

00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:54,800
If we do not have forest, we have nothing.
How long can we survive on cultivated food?

00:28:54,800 --> 00:29:01,000
Agriculture provides food once in a season.
The Forest saves us from hunger in all the seasons.

00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:07,720
Forest is everything to us. It is our land.
It is like our parents.

00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:15,080
How can we leave the forest
where our ancestors lived?

00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:21,080
The forest provides us what we need
without demanding anything.

00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,720
We do not have to beg some landlord.

00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:28,800
We do not need to be on someone's payroll,
we will survive with the forest.

00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:13,120
We will not give the forest to the Government,
they will destroy the whole flora.

00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,600
We will not survive without the forest.

00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,400
We will not leave the forest,
even for the Government.

00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:23,760
They have been trying to persuade us
to clear the forest and plant teak trees...

00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,320
...but we do not agree with them.

00:31:54,280 --> 00:32:02,000
If the government comes to our fields,
they will understand our plight.

00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:11,400
But the government never comes to us,
and they do not know.

00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:18,400
What can we do?
The government does not deliver even what it promises.

00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:25,000
Last year also, we lost our crops
to rampaging elephants.

00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,760
The authorities took the information
but we got no compensation.

00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:33,680
If our maize crop had survived,
I could have fed my children for a long time.

00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:39,280
We grow finger millets, little millets and maize,
but the elephants devour everything.

00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:41,800
What will we eat now?

00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:46,560
The forests, that were home to the elephants,
have been cut down.

00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,240
That is why elephants enter the villages
and destroy crops.

00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:58,760
If their habitat is destroyed,
what else will the elephants do?

00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:05,600
I am worried about
how to feed the family.

00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:12,000
The children do not know
if there is food in the house...

00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,320
but the parents know...

00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:21,600
If we go for a labour job,
we get Rs 50 or Rs 100.

00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:27,600
Rice is selling for Rs 20/kg.
How many days can I buy it?

00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:32,480
If there is no labour job,
there is no money...

00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:36,320
There is the threat of
elephants in the forest...

00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:42,160
Even if I have to sell firewood,
the market is very far.

00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:49,600
It is not viable to go to a
distant market like Muniguda.

00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:56,120
We do not have plain land,
so we cultivate hilly tracts..

00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:03,120
...but elephants damage our
millets, KANGU, KERJONA, maize...

00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,400
Elephants destroy everything.

00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:51,640
That seems to be a MUNDI tuber over there.

00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:12,640
This tuber is what we have come for.

00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:52,760
We revere the forest as our parent.

00:35:55,600 --> 00:36:00,880
We love it as our sibling.

00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:08,880
The forest has sustained me thus far.

00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:16,160
The forest has nursed us
like a mother nurses her children.

00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:23,840
Lord Brahma and Yamraaj
have sent me to the forest.

00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:31,360
Only we know of our ordeals and our joys.

00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:39,080
The child in my womb would know
how I lived in harmony with the forest.

00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:46,640
My good deeds and my sins are
between me and my forest.

00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:54,520
If an outsider destroys the forest,
we will not tolerate it.

00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:01,200
This bond has been there for ages.

00:37:03,240 --> 00:37:08,440
I will protect the forest and
restore its dignity like before.

00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:31,600
Cover it.

00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:35,000
If you don't use the lid,
it won't cook properly.

00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:40,240
You didn't add any water?

00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:43,400
I will add water in a moment.

00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:47,720
My God!
Too much smoke...

00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:59,080
We also have a lot of these
citrus-fruit trees on our land.

00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:09,040
You take this one
and return what I gave you.

00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,960
I peeled this one.
I want to have it.

00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:21,840
Your father-in-law shall admonish you
for eating while cooking.

00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:29,200
It is too tangy.
You can have it all.

00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:06,760
My teeth are aching
after having that tangy fruit.

00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,320
The fruit is not ripe yet.
That is why it is so tangy.

00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:32,640
Ramesh, Rahul, Chintu, Lakshmi...
Let us share with everybody.

00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:53,000
I fell down
while bringing the head-load of tubers.

00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:57,600
I told you that you are going to fall.

00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,360
I slipped.
What can I do if I slipped?

00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:06,120
Giving the forest away is
like sacrificing our lives.

00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:08,880
Come my pristine flower

00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:14,680
How can we give the forest away?
It is a part of our lives.

00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:17,400
Come my pristine flower

00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:23,320
The Forest has raised us like our parents.

00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:26,040
Come my pristine flower

00:43:28,600 --> 00:43:32,760
Outsiders think the forest is a commodity.

00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:35,480
Come my pristine flower

00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:41,440
How would they understand
our relationship with the forest?

00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:43,760
Come my pristine flower

00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:51,200
I can not give you my forest

00:43:55,240 --> 00:43:59,440
She says Kondh adivasis do not contaminate
their crops with Poisonous chemicals.

00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:10,000
What a bounty!
These are much more than I can hold.

00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:17,000
Sarjeet!

00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:30,160
This is what they were planning.
That is so interesting.

00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:38,560
You guys should consider this as an honour.

00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:41,800
Nani! Johar.

00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:46,320
Johar-Johar!

00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:53,920
One day the adivasis shall bell the cat.

00:44:57,040 --> 00:44:59,040
A film by

00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:01,080
Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl

00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:03,360
Director of Photography

00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:05,640
Nandan Saxena

00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:07,640
Camera

00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:09,400
Kavita Bahl
Sarjeet Kajla
Sanjay Malakar

00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:11,400
Sound Design

00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:13,640
Nandan Saxena

00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:15,640
Field Recording

00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:17,840
Sarjeet Kajla
Insaf Khan

00:45:18,280 --> 00:45:19,840
Edit & Grading

00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:22,040
Nandan Saxena
Sarjeet Kajla

00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:24,040
Vocals

00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:26,240
Timoli Kurgenlika
Srimati Duduka

00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:28,240
Translations

00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:30,480
Jagannath Majhi

00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:32,480
Supported by

00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,560
Debjeet Sarangi
Living Farms, Odisha