DESCRIPTION/
It was a sacred home, where mutual interdependency between ancient tribes and mother nature created a unique harmony that has existed for ages. Now it is a national park, monitored and regulated by the state. It is the forests of Nagarahole and Kakanatoke in Southern India. Until the early seventies, the forests were home to the Kurubas, its original inhabitants. However, forest authorities have forced these people to abandon the only home they have ever known. With some personal interviews and a closer look into a few of this individual¹s lives, a greater understanding is gained of the many things that these forests actually represent. This moving film journeys through the struggles that the Kurubas have endured through their eviction from their ancestral lands and the hardships that they have encountered while integrating into modern society. What will become of them? The forests will be taken care of by the state, but can we say the same for the Kurubas?

BIOGRAPHY/
Vinod Raja graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India with a specialization in cinematography in 1985. He has photographed and co-directed several works including, "Toli Chinuka" ("Fragrance of the First Rain"), a film about the water harvest systems of rain fed farming in Southern India. He has been associated with the Indigenous Peoples Movement in Nagarahole and Kakanatoke since 1996 and is still currently involved with various human rights and environmental groups there.


CONTACT/
Vinod Raja
143, 4th Main Road, Mallaswaram
Bangalore-560 003
INDIA
E-mail: vinodraja@hotmail.com