Proposal 1: "Guardians of the Demajong" by CHRISTOPHER REGO

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“Guardians of the Demajong” recounts the fascinating saga of a group of Buddhist monks who stopped a Himalayan mega dam project from being built, because of their belief that it would defile the sanctity of holy Buddhist treasures hidden in the Demajong region surrounding Mount Khanchendzonga (the world’s third highest mountain peak).

 BIO: 
Christopher Rego, is an independent documentary filmmaker and television producer with over two decades of film and television production experience in both South and South East Asia. Christopher holds a post graduate degree in Sociology from Mumbai University, and has also completed a specialized three year training course in Film Direction from Asia’s premier film school, the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune (1984-1987).

SYNOPSIS 

Some years ago, the Indian province of Sikkim witnessed an unusual protest by a group of local monks, led by Tshering Denzongpa, head priest of one of the region’s holiest monasteries. The monks agitation eventually brought a stop to a mega-dam project being planned in the Demajong region below Mount Khanchendzonga, the world’s third highest mountain.

What stirred the monks’ opposition to the dam was their belief that the founder of Sikkimese Buddhism, Guru Padmasambhava, has hidden five treasures somewhere across the Khanchendzonga landscape. The dam was perceived as a threat to these holy treasures that would defile the sanctity of Khanchendzonga - considered the guardian deity of the region.

To understand just how much reverence the people have for Khanchendzonga, consider one fact – it is the only major mountain peak that hasn’t been scaled to the top - all expeditions have stopped short of the peak in deference to local sentiment. Using Tshering as its central protagonist, the film recounts the fascinating saga of the monks’ protest, and explores the rich mosaic of cultural beliefs, rituals and traditions that connect the local community to Khanchendzonga.
  

The film thus becomes a reflection on how indigenous religio-cultural traditions, which ascribe sacredness to natural objects, connect to modern day ecological concerns regarding the conservation of natural heritage.

The film ends with the possibility of the dam project being revived - and leaves viewers with a key question – how much longer can the guardians of Khanchendzonga protect their sacred mountain?


TREATMENT

 

The film would be a documentary of 45 minutes duration, with English as its main language, and all interviews (in languages other than English) being subtitled.

The central quest of the film would be to explore the notion of the sacred landscape embedded in the traditional belief systems of local communities, and how these belief systems relate to a modern ecological worldview.

Accordingly, the film will try to identify a spectrum of characters rooted in this landscape who typify both traditional and modern “ways of seeing” the Demajong and are all in some way “guardians of the Demajong”. The story will unfold through their eyes, capturing their beliefs and concerns, and exploring what the Demajong means to each one of them.

The central character would be a senior llama like Tshring Denzongpa, someone well versed in the ancient scriptures and traditional beliefs who was an active participant in the agitation against the Rathong Chu hydel project. 

We would locate this character within the space that defines his identity –his monastery; performing the daily religious rituals, reading the scriptures, interacting with fellow monks of the monastery, meditating. Through his story, we would also try and achieve insights into the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism and the holistic worldview of nature enshrined in its discourse, which is the foundation of the region’s culture and value systems. 

Another character could be an environmental research scientist studying some aspect of the region’s ecology. This character, while also rooted in this area, would have a somewhat different approach to the landscape – the outcome of his scientific grounding, which leads him to construct it more as an ecosystem, in terms of its flora,fauna and water resources and their economic and ecological values.

Juxtaposed between these two characters would also be people from the simple rural community of farmers and shepherds who inhabit the villages of this region. For them, the landscape is the place they call home, which gives them an identity, the land where their forefathers settled and found ways and means of survival in this mountainous terrain. Yet inherent in their everyday lives too is a reverence for the natural, which manifests itself in their daily religious practices, or in the folklore prevalent among them. 

We would also film some of the colorful community rituals associated with the sacred landscape –the Bhumchu festival (held sometime in the month of March) and the Phang Lhabsol festival (sometime in the month of September). 

Framing all these elements would be an introspective discourse that expresses the personal viewpoint of the filmmaker himself. This would be an exploration of the meanings of some of the film’s main themes – the “sacred”, the “mountain”, and the notions of “protection” and “conservation” using poetic juxtapositions of image and sound and quotes and references from a variety of texts that interpret these themes in a more reflective way.

VIDEO PROPOSAL

TRAILER OF EXCERPTS FROM PREVIOUS WORK (IN TWO PARTS)

FILMOGRAPHY: 

LIST OF CREDITS (PRODUCER / DIRECTOR)

Documentaries

2011 – “A SAFER ASIA” A documentary highlighting the work and the regional

impact of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, an intergovernmental

organization that serves as a resource centre for disaster risk reduction and

management in countries across Asia (DVCAM/ 30 mins / English / ADPC,

Thailand)

2010 – “THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR”: A documentary promoting

the work of the Arthritis Foundation (India), a support group for patients suffering

from arthritis (DVCAM/ 22 mins/ English/ AFI, Bangalore)

2009 -10 – “DANCE IN A CIRCLE”: (currently u n d e r p r o d u c t i o n )

A documentary about a multicultural arts project by a young German dancer who

is studying the meaning of gestures in Thai classical dance (DVCAM/ 50

mins/ English/ Crespo Foundation)

2009 -10 – “SIAMWALLAS”: A short pilot video screener for a proposed

multimedia video research and documentation series on the Indian diaspora in

Thailand (DVCAM/ 20 mins/ English/ UFAV)

2008-2009 – “WHEN THE MEKONG RISES” : A documentary on a major

programme being implemented in Vietnam and Cambodia to promote

community based systems for flood mitigation and management in the Mekong

Delta (DVCAM / 30 mins/ English/ Mekong River Commission / Asian

Disaster Preparedness Centre)

2003-2004 – “INVOCATIONS TO THE MOUNTAIN GODDESS “: A study

of conservation management of a UNESCO natural world heritage site in the

Indian Himalayas, advocating the need to combine conservation goals with the

development interests of the local community. The film was awarded the “best

film on the festival theme “Forests for Life” at the Vatavaran Film Festival, New

Delhi 2005 (DVCAM / 63 mins/ English/ UNESCO, New Delhi)

2003-2004 – “FAR FROM HOME “:A short documentary on the regional

programme being run by the United Nations Development Fund for Women

(UNIFEM) all across Asia to empower migrant women workers and ensure

protection of their rights (DVCAM / 12 mins. / UNIFEM, Bangkok)

2000/2001 – “FORESTS OF THE GODS” : A two-part documentary on the

ancient Indian eco-cultural tradition of sacred groves i.e. patches of forest

protected by local communities, because they are believed to be the abode of gods

or spirits.The film explores the symbiotic relationship between man and nature

enshrined in these groves, as well as the treasures of plant and animal bio2

diversity preserved in these small mosaics of centuries old vegetation (Betacam

SP/ 28 mins/ English/ Zee TV, Mumbai )

1999/2000 – “NANHEIN VIGYAANI LIKHEIN NAYI KAHAANI (“FROM

BUDDING MINDS BLOOMS INSPIRATION”) : A documentary about the

National Children’s Science Congress, an annual event organised by the

Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in which groups of

children from all over the country work on science projects and present these on

a public platform. The basic philosophy of the Congress is to promote “learning

by doing, as opposed to mere textbook study (Betacam SP/ 30 minutes/ English

and Hindi/ Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi)

1997/1998 – “THE VILLAGE EDITION” : A documentary about a series of

initiatives undertaken by publishers in different parts of the country in

partnership with the National Literacy Mission, to bring out newspapers catering

to the new neo-literate readership created by literacy campaigns in these regions

(U-matic High Band/28mins/English/ National Literacy Mission)

1995/1996 – “THE VILLAGE REPUBLIC” : The opening film of a television

documentary series on Indian environmental issues called “Wealth of the

Nation”, which argues that more power should be given to local village

communities to manage their environmental resources, in order to achieve

ecologically sound and sustainable rural development in India. Screened at the

Mumbai International Short Film Festival, 1996 (Betacam SP/ English/50 mins/

Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi)

1994 – “RISING FROM THE RUINS” : Documentary on the gigantic project

jointly undertaken by the Government and various NGOs to re-house and

rehabilitate victims of the devastating 1993 earthquake in the Latur district of

Maharashtra (Betacam SP/ English and Marathi/33mins/ Government of

Maharashtra)

1994 – “NATURAL ALLIES” : Educational science documentary explaining the

hazards of indiscriminate chemical pesticide usage, and providing a basic

introduction to biological methods of pest control as an ecologically sound

alternative (Betacam SP/ English/26mins/ National Council for Science and

Technology Communication)

1993 – “THE INVISIBLE GREENS” : Educational science documentary

explaining the hazards of indiscriminate chemical fertiliser usage, and providing

a basic introduction to bio-fertiliser technology as an ecologically sound

alternative (Betacam SP/ English/26mins/ National Council for Science and

Technology Communication)

1992 – “AKSHARDHARA” : Documentary about a mass campaign to achieve

hundred percent literacy in the Latur district of Maharashtra during the year

1991-92 (U-matic High Band/ English and Marathi/28 mins/ National

Literacy Mission)

1992 – “PEDAGOGY IN PROCESS – THE DAKSHINA KANNADA

EXPERIENCE” : Documentary about a mass campaign to achieve hundred

percent literacy in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka during the year

1991 (U-matic High Band/ English and Marathi/28 mins/ National Literacy

Mission)