A Mountain Film: At the crossroads

January 2018

After trekking at the height of 17,000 feet in -35 degree celcius in Tibetan Plateau I arrived in Leh on early January of 2018. The first opportunity I'd to access my E-mail I was thrilled to receive the news that Savyasachi Anju Prabir's recent docu film was not only nominated for screening in Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF), but also received an award.

At the Crossroads' (Kahan ka Rasta) earned him the ICIMOD best mountain film prize at the 2017 KIMFF! 

The award notes that 'through his subtle yet powerful depiction of the struggles of rural mountain village life in Uttarakhand, India, Savyasachi conveys a powerful story of the lives of the people of Kalap, who, for generations, have been navigating their own paths towards sustainable living'.
For me, its a beautifully done film wherein each protagonists are given a proper recognition and space by the Director, Savyasachi (Sachi, as I call him informally).

In a small cafe on the 'Roof of the World' reading my e-mail while sipping ginger-lemon tea and eating fresh almond-honey cake, I think this news makes even more memorable.  Sachi's film about mountain people reinforces my recent relationship I developed with mountain people of Ladakh. The film, one can interpret, tries to indirectly show the love, humanity and honesty of the mountain people who care about their environment. The road whether good or bad is not being judged in the film, instead through this docu film Sachi engages and slowly leads us to understand how rural mountain people continue their daily life finding a road to happiness and sustainable living. 

 **** 4.5 stars out of five for the film :-) 
Congratulations!

Update: In July 2018, Society for Visual Anthropology Film & Media Festival awarded Kahan Ka Rasta as the Best Student Film! 

Me a proud 'pishi' or as he calls 'bua' - reflection of family's cultural diversity!