Premier of the documentary, ‘A Tribe Lost Beyond Oblivion’ at Nandan

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Saikat Kumar Basu / 21 October 2024

Premier of the documentary: ‘A Tribe Lost Beyond Oblivion’ was conducted with great pomp and grandeur at the Nandan 3 theater, Kolkata, WB on October 20/2024. The documentary has been produced in 2024 by a social and environmental NGO, named Howrah Suparna and directed by multiple award winner and social documentary filmmaker, Sourav Sarkar. The program was hosted by Dr. Suparna Sanyal Mukherjee, Secretary and Chief Functionary, Howrah Suparna and the main protagonist of the documentary on the Dongriya Khond tribes of the Nyamgiri hills in Western Odisha.

“A Tribe Lost Beyond Oblivion” is a documentary film depicting the research activities of an anthropologist, Dr. Suparna Mukherjee, who explores the interiors of the villages at Niyamgiri Hills in Odisha, where the tribal community of Dongria Kondh stays. In light of the setback from the bauxite mining projects ten years back, the film depicts and questions the tribal development milestones, to the extent it is achieved till 2024. The film ends with the viewpoints of the anthropologist on tribal development and development of indigenous technologies, as well, in context of the Dongria Kondh community.

Dr. Sumanapal Bhikkhu, Chief Functionary of Bodhi Nidhi, initiated the program with hhisdivibe blessings and Buddhist chants, welcoming the guest and participants. Ms. Krishna Sanyal, Founder, Howrah Suparna also blessed the production team for their dedicated effirt in maing this movie. Chief Guest, Mr. Gautam De, Ex Director ICCR Kolkata highlighted on the plight of the Dongriya Khond tribe, their rich socio-cultural history and the need to protect them. Special Guest: Captain (Dr.) Satish Minocha, President, Rotary Club South Extension, Kolkata emohasized the importance of the documentary in engaging public with the challenges of the tribal life and it’s Relevance to our society. Guest of Honour, Dr. Shymali Acharya, Assistant Manager, Publications & Operations,Aajkal Publushing House, Kolkata emphasized thst it is important to leave the tribal communities in their unique environment while promoting tribal development while respecting their tribal culture, traditions and heritage intact. An e-book ritten by Dr. Suparna Sanyal Mukherjee and Saikat Kumar Basu; entitled, ‘ Dongriya Khond: The Resilient Soldiers of the Nyamgiri’ published by Ilsheguri Publications was also launched fron husband august platform.

The director of the movie, Saurav Sarkar explained the trajectory of this short documentary, their objectives and challenges that he and his team faced during the production stage and how they overcame them. Mr. Debabrata Ghosh Malay, CEO of the Ilsheguri Publication, Howrah emphasized importance of including tribal studies in the primary, secondary and tertiary. Dr. Chanchal Das, from the creative team explained their next step will ve to continue oriducingva series of documentaries on social and environmental issues in the coming years. In addition to all the guests on the dias, Howrah Suparna felicitated Somnath Halder, Director of Photography, of documentary, Prof. Unus Molla, CEO, International Business Centre, eminent journalist Subhadip Roy; and social workers Niranjan Ghosh and Ananda Ghosh.

Photo credit: Saikat Kumar Basu