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The fossil is alive!
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Gautam and Arjun Pandey talk about their documentary with ANUJ KUMAR
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Horseshoe crab's blood could be beneficial for curing diabetes GAUTAM PANDEY
BACK TO BACK: Documentary filmmakers Gautam and Arjun Pandey in New Delhi PHOTO:ANU PUSHKARNA
At a time when even documentary filmmakers on wild life are looking for glamour element in their subjects, young Gautam and Arjun Pandey opted for horseshoe crab or Limulus. An arthropod, whose resume doesn't attract even biology students beyond that it's a living fossil, has won the duo two coveted awards at the Albert's International Wildlife Film Festival in France. Their 16-minute documentary Timeless Traveller has been awarded the best film in protecting the wildlife and water life categories.
Defying evolution
"When we were doing a documentary on the Olive Ridley turtles on the Orissa coast, we came across the horseshoe crab on the shore. We found its spaceship kind of shape intriguing. Research showed that it hasn't changed for five thousand years defying evolution. Its compound eyes became an inspiration for the invention of colour television. And most importantly its blood has got some properties, which could be beneficial for the cure of diabetes and osteoporosis," says Gautam, a graduate from Kirorimal College. Son of noted documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey, he has been inspired by the genre from childhood.
"It's an attempt to educate people about the importance of this species. The research was on at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa about the use of horseshoe crab but it was suddenly stopped. It has become all the more important because it has been found resistant to HIV virus and Tuberculosis bacterium," says Arjun appealing the research should start immediately. Arjun says it's the topicality that has won the film the award. "We were competing with films from major channels and groups backed by big corporate houses. Ours is a film made with a budget of around a couple of lakhs. We could not afford to shoot under-water scenes. So we created them in the lab at NIO. It's time corporate houses and television channels come forward to support such ventures."
Gautam says the crab's number is decreasing world over and Indians should take pride that a living fossil is found in their territory. "Interestingly, world over it's found only on the East coast. In India it's seen only on the Balasore coast. It has been hunted because its shell is resistant to barnacles and bacteria." The duo gives credit to their third partner Doel Trivedy for writing a script that appeals across age barriers. "We are planning to take it to schools and rural areas to increase awareness."
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