THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Long before the country began discussing global warming, a woman from Muthukulam in Alappuzha had started to do her bit to save the environment from further degradation. What she did was to nurture a forest single-handedly!
Kollakkayil Devaki Amma, a winner of Union Government’s Indira Gandhi Vrikshamithra award, is the proud owner of a lush green forest covering five acres of land which she grew all by herself.
It all began in the 70s when the 85-year-old started planting trees on her land. Decades later, they have transformed into a huge forest which is home to various exotic flora and fauna.
Recently, a young director brought out a documentary on her inspiring life which would motivate greens and the general public alike. Titled ‘Amma Maram’ (Mother Tree), the 35-minute documentary has been produced and directed by S Sreedas who hails from the capital. The script is by Subhash Anandan.
Sreedas, who has shot a couple of short-films on environment, termed his latest venture a tribute to the ‘green grandma’ who has shown to the world that every individual has a responsibility towards nature.
“I chanced upon a newspaper article of Amma being selected for an award. I became curious and tried to collect her details. As the materials available on internet was too little, I decided to meet her in person,” he said. “It was an amazing experience. When you enter her homestead, you will suddenly get the feeling of being inside a deep jungle,” Sreedas recollected his maiden visit to Devaki Amma.
The forest is home to over 200 species of trees and numerous rare plants and shrubs.
The interesting story backed by excellent visuals and minimal narrative will keep eyes glued to the screen. The highlight, of course, is Devaki Amma’s narration of her life.
She talks about her initiation into farming and her family’s support to convert a cultivable patch of land into a forest that would not give them any monetary benefit.
Cameraman Vijayan Nair has succeeded in presenting the greenery in its beautiful best. The visuals of the densely packed woods are refreshing. You can also watch some rare medicinal plants and green creepers and beautiful wild blooms.
As in dense natural forests, this woman-made forest too has some areas where even rain water would not flow down owing to the thick canopy.
The captivating lyrics of a poem in the documentary was penned by Jayalakshmi and music is by Rakesh Kesavan. It was recited by C V Sreedevi. While Sujith Kadakkan did the graphics, visual editing was by Adarsh Kurian. Technical assistance for the project has been provided by Media People, a Kottayam-based multimedia studio.