It’s a short experimental film based on the pain caused by Migration of People from the hill state of Uttarakhand. What hurts the most is the ‘migration from the hearts’ where people going away to big cities do not think much of going back to hills during festivals and forget about going during the holidays.
Shot from the point of view of a Mother who is decorating the village house with Colors and Aipan (folk pictorial art) in anticipation of relatives like her son that they might return. Other old members meanwhile keep on doubting whether they will come or not and only their voices can be heard as if coming from the other rooms. At one point Mother thinks her son has returned but its only a figment of her imagination. When she returns to the living room where she has been making the Aipan design since morning more surprise is in wait for her. It’s the past memories which are there in the entire house and the Mother has to make a decision to go away to her son or remain behind to keep the old house livable so that one day when those relatives will return they may find the old house intact.
Amit Saxena is an alumnus of National School of Drama, 2006 batch and also a recipient of Junior Fellowship for academic research in Chhau Dance from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. He has obtained PG Diploma in Electronic Media and has attended various short term courses on Indian Culture conducted by the National Museum Institute, New Delhi. He has cleared his UGC-NET Eligibility for Lectureship (Drama) in 2010. He has also attended a Certificate Course in ‘United Nations & International Understanding’ – Institute of UN Studies, Department of Indian Federation of United Nations Associations, New Delhi, in 2017-18. Amit has received extensive training in Seraikella Chhau dance under Guru Shashadhar Acharya and in Mime under Guru Niranjan Goswami and Shri Bhumikeshwar Singh. He has Attended extensive workshops of Kalaripayattu (Late Shri Gopinathan, Sopanam, Kerala); Commedia dell’ arte (Istituto Italiano di Cultura, New Delhi); Viennese Waltz (Austrian Cultural Centre); Zen Dance (Dr. Ms. O. Lee, South Korean Embassy); and Creative dance movement workshops organized in India by renowned teachers like Sasha Waltz (Sasha Waltz and Guests Dance Company, Berlin), Simon Macburney (Théâtre de Complicité, London), Gilles Chuyen, etc. He has attended orientation lectures on Self Healing Techniques like Reiki; Alexander’s Technique; and has attended an orientation course on Yoga Vidya from Institute of Yoga, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi. Amit has worked with noted personalities from the field of dance and drama like Smt. Sonal Mansingh, Smt. Shovana Narayan, Smt. Ranjana Gauhar, Shri D.P. Sinha, Prof. D.R. Ankur, Prof. K.S. Rajendran, Shri Dinesh Khanna, Ms. Smita Bharti, Late Shri Prem Matiani, Shri Lokendra Trivedi, Prof. Tripurari Sharma, Prof. Kirti Jain and Shri Ram Gopal Bajaj. He has also associated with young directors like Shri Ramji Bali, Shri Govind Singh Yadav, Shri Rajesh Singh and Shri Amitesh Grover for their theatrical presentations. In 2007 he has worked as an Assistant Director to Shri Rahul Sethi & Mr. Roysten Abel for a show, involving 2000 artists from the Zonal Cultural Centers of India, at Red Fort in celebration of 150 years of 1857’s first war of Independence- ‘Swatantrata aur Sangram’. In 2008, he was part of a theatre delegation to Romania to attend the World Theatre Schools’ Meet, UNESCO. In 2012 he collaborated with Japanese Video artist, Mr. Hiroharu Mori, to create a video art presentation for art exhibition- ‘Omnilogue: Journey to the West’- organized by Japan Foundation. He has also visited various countries like Mauritius, Reunion (France), Germany, Japan, Italy and Romania for various performances. Amit has directed dance dramas, musicals and plays for various cultural organizations of Delhi on themes as varied as Haveli Sangeet, Gita Govinda, Shiva Purana and Madhurashtakam; Amanat Lakhnawi’s Inder Sabha which was based on the music compositions of Theatre Musician late Shri Mohan Upreti, and on social themes like Conservation of Forests, Girl Child Education, Health etc. Amit’s plays have been staged in various prestigious Theatre festivals like the Theatre Olympics NSD 2018; Bhartendu Natya Mahotsav SKP 2018; Bharat Muni Natya Mahotsav SKP 2018; National Mime Festival Kolkata 2017; Yuva Natya Mahotsav SKP 2016; Lok Bimb Mahotsav 2012 & Lok Rang Mahotsav 2017 of Hindi Akademi; and Virasat Festival Dehradun 2014 to name a few. Amit has associated with various cultural organizations and institutions in facilitation of training and workshops on Performing Arts and Media like NSD Extension Program; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan; Hindu College, Delhi Metropolitan Education Noida; CRAFT Rohini, ZIMA and ISOMES, Noida. Amit has an avid interest in the Documentation of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India and collaborates with folk and traditional artists for research and capacity building. For the dissemination of ICH, he conducts Art & Culture Appreciation Course for young students under his organization, Divya Diksha Centre for Performing Arts, in Delhi and Uttarakhand.
Director Statement
My work is majorly based on integrating the performing arts, folk and traditional arts with Films.
