‘…and the Friends of Kaziranga’ – Something Apart from Safari
The term Assam tourism rings in our minds with the obvious association of Kaziranga National Park apart from the other tourist attractions. And thinking of the National Park, the foremost thing comes to the planning is the wildlife experience. However, have you ever thought about how the park is so captivating for the tourists and how it has been boasting with the largest number of tiger population and the presence of the gorgeous one-horned rhinos? Mostly we don’t think so much as we are already preoccupied with the itinerary, especially with the Kaziranga Online Safari Booking.
The answer to this is the ‘forest guards’ of Kaziranga National Park. Their untiring efforts to keep the animals safe from poachers, active participation during the flood threats and many more of their dedicated hard work have contributed to the success stories of Kaziranga.
Sadly, we fail to identify, realise and appreciate their efforts, but the remarkable film editor of Assam, Kaju S Majid did.
In his 21 minute documentary ‘…and the Friends of Kaziranga’, Kaju paid an honorary tribute to these unsung heroes for their relentless endeavours to protect the wildlife against all odds. These forest guards stay deep inside the forests, in the anti-poaching camps, miles away from their families. Deep inside the dense jungle with dangers constantly hovering around them, they diligently perform their duties.
Unfortunately, the guards are provided with the outmoded equipment to deal with the critical situations, that too in exchange of meagre monetary benefits. It is in the recent times the infrastructural and monetary upliftment have taken place in favour of these forest guards. But the shortfall of manpower still persists, and as a result, they are in charge of speculating larger areas for a prolonged period.
The non-featured film was produced by Biswajit Borkakoti, and it begins with the charming shots upholding the scenes of striking flora and fauna of Kaziranga National Park, and then swiftly shifting to the main plot of hardships and distress of the forest guards. The direction of the film skillfully balances the theme of risks and challenges of the guards on one hand, and on the other their fidelity towards wildlife conservation and protection.
Chandan Sharma, a noted film critic mentioned that the film had an exemplary editing style, highlighting efficiently some of the significant moments like the masterly blend of the struggling activities of the guards inside the dense forest and the scenes of lectures in a seminar hall by the lawmakers and environmentalists.
Kaju himself directed the film and he stated that he had tried his best to express the genuine attachment of the forest guards towards the safeguarding of the forest, to the viewers.
The documentary effectively captured the distressing scenes of animal suffering during floods and the persistent efforts of guards to protect them from the calamity and the poachers.
The famous Assamese actor Kapil Bora contributed to the informative quality of the film by giving the background narration, as the story unravels. It was a proud moment for Kaju when his documentary got filmed in the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2010. In 2009, Kaju was conferred with the silver award by Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA) for efficient designing of ‘…and the Friends of Kaziranga’.
