On World Wetlands Day, we throw the spotlight on one interesting aspect of khazans, which are reclaimed wetlands in Goa.
Goa’s khazan land system, which is believed to be thousands of years old, serves as a habitat for several flora and fauna. It is home not only to water birds and crocodiles, but also to some elusive creatures, like the smooth-coated otters.
These are aquatic mammals who spend their life in water and on land, relish a variety of fish, and live in groups. They are also bio-indicators as their presence indicates the health of the wetlands, and thus, they are an important species in a food chain.
Revealing such interesting aspects about this creature and about the khazan system in general, is a new documentary, titled Kharvan — In Search of the Elusive One by a young, Panjim-based filmmaker, Nitya Navelkar.
BEHIND THE FILM
Twenty-three-year-old Nitya made this animation film as part of her final year project while completing her studies at the National Institute of Design, Madhya Pradesh.
This film was recently screened at the 55th IFFI in Goa, under the ‘Goan Films’ Section.
Currently, it is being screened at various schools in Goa under the Kids For Tigers programme initiated by Sanctuary Asia.
Nitya, who has always wanted to make a film on the human-animal conflict issue and wildlife, thought of otters when her mentor, Pramod Marshal, suggested that she make a film on Goa’s khazan system.
The 17-minute film combines live-action and animation, telling the story of Nitya's journey as she embarks on a mission to learn more about otters. She cleverly uses animation to talk about her methods and findings.
MAKING OF AN ANIMATION FILM
“Making an animation film was part of my college curriculum. Initially, I intended to make a live action film, but then it took a different turn. Also, filming otters is not easy as it is very difficult to spot them,” says Nitya as she describes the film-making experience.
"I spent around 20-25 days on the field, and saw them only twice,” she adds.
Nitya shot this film around Carambolim and Britona – areas where khazans can be found. She was guided by a local, Suresh Narvekar; architect Padma Kamat; and by Paresh Porob of the Goa Forest Department who helped her with her research.
The film also involves camera trap footage by researcher, Stephen Dias.
During her field visits, she heard stories of how the rakhandar (or guardian spirit) protects these spaces and the belief that locals have about the spirit.
LIVES OF OTTERS
In her film, she has spoken about the cultural aspects of the khazan land system in addition to its ecological aspects. For Nitya, this aspect was important as she came across many heritage trees which were known as rakhandar trees.
During her field visits, she heard stories of how the rakhandar (or guardian spirit) protects these spaces and the belief that locals have about the spirit.
Speaking more about otters, Nitya added that she herself was not very aware about them until she made the film. She also discovered that many Goans were clueless about this creature until they watched her film at the recent 55th IFFI.
Not only does the film focus on the lives of otters, but also on the threats to them, such as habitat destruction, concretisation of bandhs or dykes as the traditional mud bandhs are used by them to build dens and raise their pups.
Otters, Nitya points out, have adapted to this ecosystem of brackish water as they are freshwater creatures. Thus, their presence also indicates the health of the khazan ecosystem.
Nitya, who is eager to continue creating wildlife and research-focused films, is currently working on submitting this film to various film festivals and arranging screenings at schools across Goa this year.