National film award dedicated to Assam women’s stork army

Award-winning Assam IPS officer dedicates documentary on saving greater adjutant storks to women conservationists, highlighting their crucial role.

GUWAHATI

An Assam IPS officer has dedicated the national award for his documentary film on the greater adjutant storks to an ‘army’ of women who saved the large birds from extinction.

Partha Sarathi Mahanta, who heads the State Police’s Special Task Force, directed Hargila: The Great Adjutant Stork, a 19-minute documentary produced by Mina Mahanta and Indrani Baruah. Hargila is the Assamese name for the greater adjutant stork.

The film was one of two Assamese documentaries that received a Special Mention certificate for 2022 during the 70th National Film Awards in August. The other was on Birubala Rabha, a crusader against witch-hunting who died in May.

“I dedicate this award to the Hargila Army led by wildlife conservationist Purnima Devi Barman. Her leadership and the women of Dadara Pasaria [18 km northwest of Guwahati] helped save the greater adjutant stork, one of the top 20 most endangered species, from extinction,” Mr. Mahanta said.

The documentary has been screened across nine international film festivals. It received the best documentary award in some of them.

Ms. Barman is in Stuttgart, Germany, for an environment education programme throughout October. She won the United Nations Champion of the Earth Award, and twice received Green Oscars from the Whitley Fund for Nature.