The peacock was declared India’s National Bird
in 1963 but few, if any, films have been devoted entirely to this magnificent
bird.
This 22 minute documentary examines the Indian peafowl
from hatching to adulthood through a story told by the camera. Peafowls
are found in abundance in large green stretches in many parts of Northern
India. The film is the result of observing and photographing pea fowls
in their natural habitat for a period of over one and a half years. Location
shooting was done in the Deer Park and Tuglakabad Fort areas of New Delhi.
See what the camera has to tell.
‘Sarang’ is also a Hindustani raag. ‘Vrindavani Sarang’
is visualized in the courtship dance of the peacock in the film. The soulful
rendering on the violin was composed by Joi Srivastava who also uses ‘Megh’
raag to visualize the rainy season.
Visualzing Hindustani raagas through paintings was a
tradition in India in the 17th and 18th century. The miniature painting
schools of Pahari, Kangra, etc. specialized in 'Ragmala Paintings'. Peacock
figures appeared in many of these paintings accompanying a woman, lovely
in herself, but restless with longing. Peacock is used as a symbol of
the absent lover. The flowing rhythmical lines and simple unaffected naturalism
of these paintings are highlighted as a finale to the film.
VHS(PAL) cassettes and VCDs of the short film are being
marketed by excelhomevidoes
and are available in leading stores in India. See stills from the film
by clicking here
