Van Versus Vikas interrogates the veracity of India's claim of "progress," which has left millions of adivasi Indigenous communities behind and created an ecological crisis. This is a place-based documentary short that centers two protagonists: Mumbai's beloved and beleaguered Aarey Forest and the Bhoir family, whose adivasi ancestors have lived in the jungle for generations. The film chronicles the trials and tribulations of the youth-led Save Aarey movement to protect the forest that is threatened by the construction of a Metro Rail project. The Bhoir family, too, are resisting this project. The key message of this film is summed up by this quote of Prakash Bhoir: "The greed of man will never cease. But we must remember that we are guests on the Earth. We are not the owners of the Earth. Do you want this kind of progress, which is leaving our collective futures in such darkness?"
Biography:
Rucha Chitnis is a photojournalist, writer and a documentary filmmaker. Rucha is a fellow at the International Women’s Media Foundation. A graduate of the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, Rucha serves as an adviser to Vikalp Sangam (meaning a confluence of alternatives in Hindi), a network of over 70 grassroots groups and people’s movements in India that amplifies stories of alternative economies, food and climate justice. She serves as the communications director at the Disability Rights Fund, a human rights funder that resources disability rights movements that are advocating for inclusion globally.
