It is 2 am. The darkness of the night swallows all light, sight and sound; a rustle outside the house wakes Loganathan, and in the flickering flame of his torchlight, the Kadar tribesman sees him — a Komban (a lone male tusker elephant), breaking down his door. Under a moonless night, with nothing but shadows and the wilderness for company, Loganathan treads the path his ancestors have taken from time immemorial — of taking an alternate route when man-animal boundaries unintentionally cross and chaos comes calling. Kadar — a gripping narrative of the conventional wisdom, way of life of the Kadar tribesmen (the people of the forest) and their importance in the long-term conservation efforts in the Anamalai Hills, was released recently on YouTube and Instagram.
Capturing experiences
The six-minute short film, conceived by naturalist and wildlife travel operator Pravin Shanmuganandham of The Papyrus Itineraries, took shape as a result of his inimitable experiences during his interactions with the tribesmen in the last four years. “Four years ago, I was looking for a trail in the rainforests and found a 175-acre coffee estate which the owners had procured and given over to research and conservation . They wanted the native biodiversity to grow back.
The owners were okay with having trails curated on their land but were specific that there was capacity control. They also wanted a financial model to be set in place for the two Kadar families who were taking care of the estate. This is when I met Loganathan,” shares Pravin. A shy and introverted Loganathan soon became a part of The Papyrus Itineraries’ tours and accompanied the travel group into the forest, helping them understand the jungle and look beyond mediocre forest safaris.
“We wanted the natives to lead the trek, giving not just nature enthusiasts but anyone who was interested a peek into their life. Soon, we were curating around one trek per month — we had to park the vehicle at a particular point and walk from there. Everything from sugar, oil to salt had to be carried. At nights, we used to sit around a campfire, sip on black tea and listen to Loganathan narrate jungle lores,” shares Pravin. During one such trek, Pravin noticed that Loganathan had fitted a new door to his home. One question led to another and Pravin recalls how he was surprised by Loganathan’s nonchalant response. “He said, ‘One night, an elephant broke the door. So we had to change it.’ His narrative got me thinking about how these tribesmen avoid man-animal conflicts and co-exist peacefully,” shares Pravin.
Creative process
When Pravin came across Faraway Originals, a Bengaluru-based production company that aims at bringing unheard stories of unheard people from all corners of India, he knew that Loganathan’s story had to be shared with the world through their lens. Pankaj Singh, Shaktiraj Jadeja along with Naveed Mulki of Faraway Originals made their way to Anamalai Hills. “There was no big crew or lights. We had to trek uphill to understand the landscape and spend time with Loganathan and his family for them to warm up to the idea of us making a film about them. Pankaj wrote the script from Loganathan’s perspective.
We tried to recreate the incident with certain visual elements,” he says. Hiking, trekking, slipping and sliding the unused terrains of Anamalai along with Loganathan during his outings to collect bamboo and turmeric, Pankaj says, taught him to learn to co-exist. “The Kadars don’t fear the wild, they probably fear them enough to respect them but not to harbour malice or rage,” he says. Kadar, Pravin says, is a result of the very urge to highlight the conventional wisdom of these indigenous tribesmen of the Anamalai Hills, whom we rely upon to navigate through the thick dense jungles, rainforests while exploring the remote forests, in search of wildlife spectacles and natural wonders.
“We hope the film will not only resonate with nature enthusiasts but drop a simple message in the hearts of any viewer too, a plain yet significant message from the elders of the jungle in the remote areas of Anamalai Hills about how their traditional wisdom can help address the world’s wounds. After all, indigenous worldviews around the planet share a common perspective: the world is alive and meaningful and our relationship with the rest of life is one of participation, communion and co-creation,” he shares. For details, visit Instagram page pollachipapyrus or farawayoriginals