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A thought for the monk

"Monk from Komik", a visual take on the difficult life and crumbling monasteries at Spiti, will be screened in New Delhi this week, reports RANA SIDDIQUI

REAL LIFE Monasteries at Spiti are in shambles because they are not glorified like many others. Here is an example

Suppose you land up in a place and a native welcomes you saying, `I knew you would come'. Sounds thrilling, isn't it? Almost like a situation straight out of a film.But that's what exactly happened with documentary makers Bindiya and Raj Murgai when they visited Komik monastery in Spiti in Himachal Pradesh.

A stay at this ramshackle monastery revealed lots of problems the lamas are confronted with in their day-to-day life. From the shortage of food to paucity of funds for the upkeep of the 900-year-old monastery, from lack of employment opportunities to the absence of proper schools etc.

Yet they are warm and welcoming people, simple beings who live by faith. All these things put together triggered a documentary through a handy cam. The result was "Monk from Komik", a-26-minute documentary, now ready for public viewing this coming Tuesday at Stein auditorium, India Habitat Centre, 7 p.m.

Hostile conditions

Relates Bindiya Murgai, who has penned and directed the documentary under her production house Blue Mango, "`Monk from Komik' is about a day in the life of a Buddhist monk Lama Karzan. It is set against the scenic beauty of the Himalayas at Spiti. The documentary attempts to highlight their life in extremely hostile living conditions at such a high altitude." For six months the area remains snow-capped.

"So these monks have to accumulate food for half the year. They buy their provisions from the market down the hills and carry them on their backas there are no conveyance facilities," she explains.

The Murgais have shot the whole film without any artificial light, "because it would have disturbed them and made them conscious." There were no special set-ups or retakes. Bindya says, "The documentary is an attempt to show the difficult lives they live. It is also a subtle plea for donations for the upkeep of their ruining monasteries." For the uninitiated, Spiti is located at 6, 500 meters above the sea level.

Because of a cause attached to it, everyone from musician Nitin Malik (of Parikrama band fame) to voice-over artist George Bon Akpan, an African student now in India, all worked free of cost. Even the IHC has offered their venue free of cost for the screening. Malik even turned vegetarian for the same.

Raj and Bindiya have also created a web link for them that can be reached by hitting their website www.bluemangofilms.com.

On the day of the screening, some lamas from Komik will make an appearance for chanting and Parikrama will give "an eclectic performance".

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