India Videos - The Documentary Network

Forest Man – Planting trees to save Island

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:06:45 +0000

Since the 1970's Majuli islander Jadav Payeng has been planting trees in order to save his island. To date he has single handedly planted a forest larger than Central Park NYC. His forest has transformed what was once a barren wasteland, into a lush oasis. Humble yet passionate and philosophical about his work. Payeng takes us on a journey into his incredible forest.

Love Commandos in India

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:31:11 +0000

In traditional India, love that dishonours family can lead to death. These so-called “honour killings” are illegal in India, but that hasn’t stopped the practice. Nooren, a Muslim, and Rahul, a Hindu, fell in love while working together at a cell phone store. They kept their romance a secret, but when Nooren’s family found out, they threatened to kill the couple. “We talked to her parents but they both denied for our relationship. And they told us if you think about marriage or carry on your relationship forward then we will attempt suicide or kill you,” says Rahul. Nooren’s parents locked her up inside the family home to keep the couple apart. But the first chance she got to escape, she met up with Rahul and they took off in a rental car. No matter what happens now, Nooren and Rahul know they can never go back home. “Everybody is sitting in the town. Hundreds of people. Waiting when will we get there and they will kill us. They want to kill us,” Rahul says. “Love Commandoes have saved us.” Those “Love Commandos” are volunteers based in India’s capital city, New Delphi, who rescue and protect young couples in danger. They provide a safe house to protect couples on the run. “Love is not a crime,” says Rahul. “But the government is not supporting us. That is why cops are searching for us. Just two days ago her brothers came looking for us with the police.”

Welcome to India – Survive On A Crowded Planet (Episode 3/3)

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:23:23 +0000

With India destined to become the most populous nation on earth by 2026, you've got to be highly tactical in your search for a better life. It's not just about you and your dreams today - it's about the family over generations to come. Prakash and Mangesh are brothers in their early twenties from an illegal settlement surrounded by the buzz of downtown Mumbai. Prakash is deckhand on a yacht while striving to realise his dream and launch a Bollywood career. But his family are playing the long game, and make it clear his sole purpose is to earn enough to fund in their joint future: his brother Mangesh's course in software engineering. Apparently doomed to be the underdog, an audition does finally come Prakash's way. Swapan, a merchant in a hectic fish market, works so hard for his family's future that his wife knows he is ruining his health. When preparations for the huge Durga Puja festival - celebrating the cycle of life - adds yet more stress, it is clear that he is simply fulfilling his role in this cycle. Sujit, who crafts disposable clay tea cups for slim margins in Kolkata, hardly dares dream of seeing his family and newly born daughter hundreds of miles away in his home village. But not prepared to give up, he conjures a business idea that allows them to come to the city - proving that with enough ingenuity, thinking long term can make dreams come true. Watch Part 1 & Part 2

Welcome to India – Survive On A Crowded Planet (Episode 2/3)

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:19:03 +0000

This observational series continues to explore what life is really like in some of the densest neighbourhoods on the planet: the backstreets of India's megacities. A popular tactic for people here, so adept at operating in a crowded world, is turning the stuff others would call waste into an opportunity. Johora started out as a rag-picker, but through building a bottle recycling business on a railway embankment, she has big ambitions for her family of seven kids. When the local gangsters increase their protection payment demands, she boldly takes out a big loan and attempts to push her illegal business to another level. And it's not just small waste. Kanye uses a handheld blowtorch to cut up ships discarded by the rest of the world, helping satisfy India's thirst for steel. His dangerous but relatively well-paid job educates his three daughters and provides his ticket to a brighter future. But his hopes are in jeopardy when he is laid off. Ashik buys up beef fat from the abattoir and proudly renders it down to make tallow. It looks disgusting, even before he is plagued by a maggot infestation. But this thrifty use of waste may well be destined for your soap or cosmetics. Watch Part 1 and Part 3

The Republic Of Hunger

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:26:29 +0000

India has a booming economy yet over 40 per cent of the country's children are malnourished. Even the prime minister has declared the problem a "national shame". 101 East asks what India is doing to feed its millions. More than 40 per cent of India's 61 million children are malnourished, prompting the prime minister to declare the problem a "national shame". A recent report reveals that levels are twice that of sub-Saharan Africa, making every third malnourished child in the world an Indian. India has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and runs one of the largest child feeding programmes. But critics say only a fraction of aid reaches the needy. The film asks what the country is doing to feed its millions.

Mumbai Golf – Course through strees and slums

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 08:11:46 +0000

Caddies from an upscale golf club in Mumbai, India, created a version of the game using handmade equipment and a course that winds through the streets and slums. A short TV doc on Golf in India.

Prostitutes of God

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:21:48 +0000

We travel deep into the remote villages and towns of Southern India to uncover an ancient system of religious sex slavery dating back to the 6th century. Although the practice was made illegal more than 20 years ago, we discover there are still more than 23,000 women in the state of Karnataka selling their bodies in the name of the mysterious Hindu Goddess Yellamma. They are known as Devadasis, or ‘servants of God’. From city red light districts to rural mud huts, we meet proud brothel madams, HIV positive teenage prostitutes, and gay men in saris. Our intimate exploration into the life of the Devadasi reveals a pseudo-religious system that exploits poverty-stricken families to fuel modern India’s booming sex trade.

Bridal Slaves

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:50:50 +0000

India has one of the world's fastest growing economies. But the southwest Asian country also has the largest number of slaves in the world. In the midst of widespread poverty, fueled by economic inequality and rampant corruption, a new form of slavery - bridal slavery - has flourished. Women and young girls are sold for as little as $120 to men who often burden them with strenuous labour and abuse them.

They injected me with drugs and beat me. Then I was sold on.

Jamila, a former bride slave In a country where female children are sometimes considered a financial burden, the common practice of infanticide and gender-selective abortion has led to a shortfall in the number of women available for marriage - something made all the more problematic by high dowry costs. Experts say this has encouraged bride trafficking. Jamila, a former bride slave, says her traffickers kidnapped and drugged her, before selling her to an abusive man. "He would hit me and beat me day and night. I would have to work all day in the heat. That's no life... Is it worth living?" Shafiq Khan, who runs a grassroots organisation dedicated to tracking down bride traffickers and their victims, explains: "The girls do equal amounts of work in two jobs. They are sex slaves, not just to one man but a group of 10 or 12 men. Apart from that there is agriculture - working on the farms with animals from morning until night."

India’s Free Lunch

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 07:43:55 +0000

Since 2001 all Indian primary schools have provided pupils with a free midday meal. Seven years on truancy rates have been slashed, and child health is soaring. Western governments are taking note. "Compared to ours, today's generation is better off," explains a cook at one school we visited. Vijay Bhaskar agrees, he is the food administrator in Karnataka, and reveals, "the number of children out of school has reduced from 1 million to 70,000." The scheme has also seen off the junk food industry, as Bhaskar comments, "any person who has seen children eating a hot meal knows that no cookie can substitute."

Salim Baba

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:13:51 +0000

Salim Muhammad is a 55-year-old man who lives in North Kolkata with his wife and five children. Since the age of ten he has made a living using a hand-cranked projector to screen discarded film scraps for the kids in his surrounding neighborhoods.