Starting to film
Here’s excerpts from an early note when I started filming, which was already two years ago, wow. These entries are out of order, oops, once I start travelling again they will be in order.
I’ve filmed only a day at Child Care India and i don’t know how it went. On the one hand neither
microphone works too well and there is tons of construction going on. But this
might not be so bad, as unlike the Honduran ecotourist video I made, it is meant to document the reality.
It’s really interesting for me to juggle being polite and also taking charge of
what footage I want. I’ve been very welcomed and have access to lots of
interesting (in my mind) people. Working alone obviously wasn’t my first
choice, for good reason, it’s crazy trying to relate to people and film them at
the same time. THe kids are very sweet and most people are receptive to being filmed.Last night I got dropped off in a slum and one of the teacher’s houses and
talked to her parents for about two hours (1.5 of which i was awkwardly
wondering why i was still there). Anyway, the father was fairly educated and I
got his views on education (and his socialist revolutionary ideas!). Anyway the
funniest thing was when i told them I was Jewish and the man started explaining Hitler to his wife and he said “Hitler was a Brahmin” to which she finally seemed to understand! (These are all low-caste, or Scheduled castes, known as
Sudras, who have converted to Christianity — and no doubt wonder why i haven’t
too).
Before I left
Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh to start this film project in Bangalore, I’d met two lovely orphans who sleep in the bus
station. Unlike the beggers i was telling you about, these have not yet been so
exploited so as to no longer act like children. When I bought Bhaskara (12) ice
cream he asked if I was going to have any. Then they asked me to take them to
the museum, and I bought them clothes — while the other kids only want milk
powder to sell, they ran and changed and proudly walked in their new oufits.
They wanted to come to Bangalore with me but Im trying to find them an
orphanage or residential school closer to home.
There are lots of interesting
projects going on here : the Anantapur DIstrict of ANhdra Pradesh is the 2nd most
drought-prone region in the country, yet massive water projects as well as
education and child labor prevention projects have been undertaken, mostly by the Sathya Sai Seva Organization.
Agriculturally, it was there that many farmers swallowed pesticide when their
crops failed (provided free by the govt no less). Okay, well, that’s the
update, kind of long, but everyone here speaks about 6 languages and my Telegu and Kannada are non-existent, me hindi teek se nahi ati hun ( i don’t speak hindi well) and their English is okay, so I don’t
exactly delve into my reflections with them.
Tags: India, India, kids, Spain
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