Film on Python’s laying,hatching eggs at IFFI

Saikia has captured every moment of the reptiles’ reproduction running into hundreds and thousands of tapes and later framed it into 23 minute long short film.

Saikia,who in past has made it to Indian Panorama section of IFFI,is now competing in the Short Film Centre’s Environment award with his film ‘Unseen Beauty,Unhidden Truth’.

“The film is shot in Manas region of Western Assam,which is veritably heaven of lush green forests that sustains an impressive variety of flora and fauna. Manas has everything. Mammals,birds and reptiles,” Saikia said.

The filmmaker had raised a make-shift shed next to the place where the python had laid the eggs.

“I shot every moment of the process. And later sat for editing,” the filmmaker said.

Bad luck struck once for Saikia when after three month long editing,the hard disc of his computer crashed.

“Entire project went down the drain. Thankfully,I had all the tapes which I downloaded again and re-started the project,” he said.

The film was ready in 2010 and also travelled to Hyderabad Film Festival,where it receives accolades.

The filmmaker says that Manas which was declared world heritage site in 1985 was later given the status of ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’ because of the result of political and social upheaval that took place in the

Bodo-dominated areas surrounding this region. These activities presented a new danger to an already fragile ecosystem.

Saikia has worked with NGO,Mousi Gandri Eco Tourism Society,for this short film.

In case of the Python,on whom Saikia has made the short film,the hatched young ones were released in batches in different zones of National Park with the hope that balance in the eco system would be maintained.

“A hundred per cent successful hatching of Python under human protection in nature is a rare phenomenon,” he claimed.