River Aghanashini

The River Aghanashini (also historically the River Merjee) is a river located in India about 18 miles south east of Anjediva Island.[1] Aghanashini is a village to be found at the mouth of the river. The river Aghanashini originates at 'Shankara Honda' in the Sirsi town of Uttara Karnataka. It is one of the virgin rivers of the world. The water from this river flows unobstructed through the western ghats range and then joins the Arabian Sea.Ashwini Kumar Bhat calls Aghanashini a unique river — untamed, untouched. It is unique because ‘it still flows on the same course as it was thousands of years ago due to the absence of any dams to change its flow’. He calls it untamed as there are no industries along its path. Nobody had even documented it from its origin to its point of joining the sea.

The team wanted to document the river from four perspectives: Its origin and history; environment and rich biodiversity along the river and its valley; human dependency on the river, both upstream and downstream; cultures and rituals that developed over time around the river.

They claim, “We have carried out an extensive study and a lot of discussions with resource persons to arrive at a set of stories via which we would be telling the story of the river - from its origin till it meets the sea. The stories chosen are unique ones, some of which are found nowhere else in the world and some of which are being told for the first time.”

It’s a crowd-funded film. It was a one-and-a-half year’s project and starting in November 2015 and completing in April 2017, the team invited public support and received Rs 3, 53,001. They closed the campaign on January 22, 2017. The film is being screened today at the Moving Waters’ Film Festival at Goethe Institute. Its trailers are already uploaded on YouTube.

In an appeal, Ashwini Kumar Bhat had explained why they were doing this project.

“Our aim is to create a powerful video documentary that would combine spectacular visuals and a gripping narrative to give an idea of how pristine the river is and how beautiful and fragile its basin is.”

That was not all. The danger lurking on the side, which may devastatingly come true is the river-linking project. There are talks of diverting a part of Aghanashini, which can prove to be an ecological disaster. Aghanashini runs to a total length of 124 km, but the volume of water it carries is said to be comparable to Kali and Sharavathi.

The river-linking project has already been described as “an idea with flaws” and unless people are alerted and they protest to save their rivers, there is no stopping the impending disaster. Making a documentary is one of the best ways to reach out. The documentary Aghanashini does just that. The team says, “With the help of this documentary we want to bring out the importance of the river to that region and the role it plays in the lives of so many families and traditions that depend directly on the river. With the help of this documentary, we aim to connect the general audience to the importance of saving a river ecosystem and showcase how fragile the bond is between the river and the people around it. We see this documentary as an amalgamation of conservation material and an aesthetic storytelling, bringing together to make a long lasting impact on the viewer, some of whom may be policy makers and decision makers.

There are several more features to enjoy in the documentary like the ‘moonbow’ that the team shot at Unchalli Falls. I remember the Forest Officer Manjunath, who supervised our shooting there for the film Allama by TS Nagabharana, passionately talking about the river, its breathtaking falls and why it is necessary to protect the area surrounding the falls. The unit tracked 2 km down the steep forest and Manjunath would not allow anybody to even touch a branch. Dhananjaya, who played Allama, said it was an unforgettable experience of his life to be a part of the Unchalli Falls. For cameraman Bhaskar it was an ecstatic moment. When we saw the final shots of the falls, the general comment was that we had the real falls whereas Bahubali had to depend on VFX.

Thanks to Ashwini Kumar Bhat and Landscape Wizards, a documentary on Aghanashini is something to look forward to with bated breath.

Jayanth Kaikini would be thankful.

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References

Milburn, William (1813). Oriental Commerce: Containing a Geographical Description of the Principal Places in the East Indies, China, and Japan, with Their Produce, Manufactures, and Trade. London: Black, Parry & Company. p. 314. Merjee.

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[Milburn-1] Milburn, William (1813). Oriental Commerce: Containing a Geographical Description of the Principal Places in the East Indies, China, and Japan, with Their Produce, Manufactures, and Trade. London: Black, Parry & Company. p. 314. Merjee.