Colours of the Earth

Kavitha is a 25-year-old dalit woman who makes films. Her subjects though are the women of her society who have challenged the stronghold of caste and acute poverty to create a world of their own. They have cultivated 2,500 acres of fallow lands and created over 3 million extra meals for themselves.

The film travels to the villages of these women in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh, in an effort to understand how the change happened. When the work began 18 years ago, the main aim of the women was to control their own lives. With the help of a local NGO called Deccan Development Society the women began to till the fallows in the area. The older women had knowledge of the many varieties of seeds which would grow on these hard rocky lands, and together they worked the land.

Their efforts though have gone far beyond just tilling their land. What is truly commendable is their Alternative Public Distribution System. It's a system which ensures subsidised food grains at village level grain banks for the people. This system is completely decentralised and managed entirely by women.

The film is a personal narrative of the film-maker held together by her special friend and guide Kavitha.

Written and Directed by
Kavita Dasgupta

Camera and Production
Krishnendu Bose

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