sayantanfilms

The Life of The Gentle Giants of Motibag Talim

sayantanacharya — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 00:31:42 GMT

I started photographing people of different professions, places and societies just because I was intrigued by the way in which people differ from each other in their thoughts, professions and dreams under the same sky. I use my lenses to communicate with people of different language through the language I am comfortable in, the language of photography. The two things, “I want to know more” and “I want to let people know what I have found” drives me to move from places to places documenting people and their whereabouts.

For the past two years, I have been researching about the life of a Pahalwan (Kushti proficient), which is an ancient Indian form of “wrestling”. It is not considered a mere sport in India but has become a part of the rich Indian heritage over time.

This scholarship will give me an opportunity to learn from Jason Edwards as an assistant. Since childhood I had always dreamt of working with National Geographic and this opportunity will get me one step closer to my dream. This scholarship will help me to continue my documentation on people, their thoughts, whereabouts and culture in the future.

Your Backyard - Chinchechi Talim : A day in the life of a pehelwan

sayantanacharya — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 15:53:16 GMT

Kushti is an old Indian form of wrestling. Kushti learning centers, locally known as Talims not only conserve the guru-shishya but also usher a sense of community. The heroic tales of pehelwans passed onto us by our grandparents had instilled a sense of awe and deep respect for these Gentle Giants. We were also drawn by their simple lifestyle, discipline and dedication. Still a novice at filmmaking, we have tried to use whatever limited knowledge and equipment we possess to convey a story, a piece of Indian culture, which needs to be told.
Being researchers at NCL hardly leaves us time to follow our dream of traveling without restrictions and documenting our experiences, but our passion for filmmaking has driven us to make a couple of short films which have gained us appreciation from our friends and families.
This scholarship and workshop with Mr. Brian Rapsey would be a great learning experience and would help us reach larger audiences. We hope to to become independent filmmakers in the near future and this opportunity would help us immensely. It would help us to build on our strengths and guide us in the right direction for a successful career in the field of filmmaking.

Chinchechi Talim : A day in the life of a pehelwan

sayantanacharya — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 01:46:00 GMT

The video features indian form of wrestling, locally known as kushti. The video sneaks in a day of a kushti fighter, to celebrate the modest life at chinchechi talim against bustling life at Pune, India

Kushti is an old Indian form of wrestling . Kushti represents much older thread of Indian culture. Kushti learning centers, locally known as ‘Talim’ or ‘Aakhra’ is not merely an arsenal but also a way of life, which ushers a sense of community , a sense of unity. However with the marked degeneration of kushti and fast invasion of personal working out equipments , the sense of community is crumbling down. Even while working out we are isolated which is deeply symptomatic of our post colonial and post modern dis-ease. Colonialism seeks to demolish a country’s culture, history and the unity rooted into its communities. Therefore the introduction of new sophisticated equipments by the neocolonial enterprises undermines and threatens the existence of an old cultural community such as ‘Kushti’. I was also drawn by the simplicity and the ‘down to earth’ lifestyle of the ‘Pahelwans’ (Kushti proficient), their historic tales , their dedication and respect for our cultural heritage.