A documentary on farmers of Meghalaya

Titled ‘Garo Hills Ni A’chik Songrang’, film follows the lives of three farmers in the hills

Abhishek Udaykumar’s documentary,  Garo Hills Ni A’chik Songrang (Villages of Garo Hills), will be screened in Bengaluru at Alliance Francaise on May 1 at 5 pm.

It is a full-length documentary about the farmers in the Garo Hills, Meghalaya, and is made by Abhishek at BAKDIL, an NGO, who supported the making of the film. “The documentary follows the lives of three farmers across different regions of Garo Hills and explores their unique forms of livelihood, domestic life and relationships through a narrative of candid conversations, immersive takes, memoirs and journeys across the landscape,” says Abhishek who is also an artist and writer besides being a filmmaker.

Abhishek travelled to the North East and was fascinated by the farmers’ lives. “The way they adapt to the land and its changing scenarios and are so rooted to that land is fascinating. Their economy is dependent on betel nut plantations and they follow a pattern of sustenance agriculture for self-consumption and to sell in the local markets. They make the best of whatever they have.”

The 26-year-old, graduated from the Royal Holloway University of London where he studied English and Creative Writing. He also writes novels and short stories.

Working in expressionist and miniature paintings, Abhishek conducts workshops, teaches creative writing, paints and sells his artworks to sustain himself financially. “Making documentaries is a passion and I toggle between the three as they are all in some way connected.”

The Bangalorean says with the screenings of this film, he aims to inspire people to think about farmers. “I did not have a big budget to make the documentary. I put in whatever I had and BAKDIl hosted me on location.”

Conceptually a feature film and a documentary are not very different from each other as you are using a medium to narrate a story, Abhishek says. “The lines between the two forms is blurring. What is different between them is the logistics, when it comes to the budgeting, making and marketing.”