Farmer’s Wikipedia
Arjun Pandey
Could a dose of technology act as some sort of antidote for issues as grave as farmer suicides? National award-winning filmmaker, Arjun Pandey attempted to explore the idea through his film as he went to the hinterland, and returned optimistic that technology, if put to the right use can work wonders in issues concerning the “other India”.
His documentary, Life Apps: India’s Software Heroes is part of a series of films from different countries and was recently showcased at the UN’s Rio Summit 2012.
Shot in Delhi and rural Andra Pradesh, the 30-minute film follows 29-year-old Delhi-based techie, Sachin Gaur, as he creates a mobile application to help farmers.
Arjun agrees that there are two contrasting faces of India. “One of the young, promising world economy, which is the hub of technology and an about-to-be superpower. But the other face of India may not be that pretty. It’s sick with poverty, corruption and development is yet to trickle down to villages where majority of India lives. I wanted to bring the two India’s together. But the challenge was how?” says Pandey.
Certainly, the reality is too harsh, with stories of farmer suicides too heartbreaking, but Arjun loves to sees hope. “My research showed me that the number of farmer suicides has reduced in Andra Pradesh. I thought that it would be a great idea to look at ‘why’ aspect of things,” he says, adding, “I have always wanted to talk about the solution to problems rather than going on and on about what’s happening,” he adds.
While the film has been appreciated internationally, and Arjun is satisfied with the attempt, but what about the implementation of the application in reallife situations? Can an illiterate farmer actually benefit from it? “Definitely. It’s simple video or graphic presentation and is very basic to use. A farmer can have pictorial information on the usage of pesticides etc. Simply put, it’s a Wikipedia for farmers,” he explains.
Zooming in on socially-relevant issues comes easy to 33-year-old Arjun, who through his production house 24 Frames has been taking up projects close to his heart. Arjun is presently working on a film on domestic violence and is planning a series to expose the “healthcare mafia” in the country. “Much has been done, but much more still needs to be done. Young India fills me with hope,” says Arjun, who’s proud that he found calling early in life, when he picked up the camera at the age of 13 and started assisting his filmmaker father. “One should follow one’s heart, than be part of the mad rush,” affirms Arjun.
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