JANADHAAR

The Struggle for Community-owned Tourism in the      Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

a film by Jade Ajani & David Meek

New 2012 Trailer!

This feature-length documentary, which is set in India’s Garwhal Himalaya, explores the struggle for community-owned ecotourism and sustainable rural development within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.

Nanda Devi (7817 meters) is the highest peak entirely within India, and for nearly a century it drew alpinists and hikers from throughout the world. When Nanda Devi was designated as a national park in 1982, however, mountaineering and trekking were prohibited from the area. This ban has negatively affected the economy of the region, causing many people who had been dependent on ecotourism as a source of income to migrate out of the area. Since 1982, the local Bhotiya people in Nanda Devi have been involved in a campaign to win back their right to economic self-determination. In 2006, the Bhotiya won a concession from the Indian Forest Department (which oversees the Reserve) to run treks within certain limited areas. This enabled the local community to form their own ecotourism organization, the Mountain Shepherds, which now offers a variety of alternative tourism options, such as small group treks, and cultural homestays. The group’s first trip, a trek involving local residents hiking alongside women from both India and Western countries, took place in the fall of 2006. This film documents the Bhotiya’s nearly thirty year struggle and recent success through interviews with the local women, international participants, activists, government officials and villagers as the trek proceeds through the mountains.

Ecotourism has gained increasing attention given the global focus on development that is both environmentally and economically sustainable as well as culturally sensitive. However, much ecotourism is the product of external development, and does not take into consideration the importance of the needs or histories of the local communities. Jandahaar, which means community-owned, highlights the efforts of one Himalayan community to make a difference in both environmental conservation and participatory economic development.

COMING TO FILM FESTIVALS – 2012

STILLS:

2011 Trailer

Produced by David Meek

Associate Producers Mike Moore and Beth Moore

Cinematography and Editing by Jade Ajani

Directed by Jade Ajani and David Meek

Interpreters Shri Satiji, Atul Sati, Sunil Kantola,
Pratiba Naithani and Shubhra Chaturvedi

Music folk songs of Nanda Devi

Translators Aftab Pasha, Sibghat Usmghani, Sneha Sharma,
Sudir Rawat and Satish Negi

Art Direction by Adam Baz

Tactical Consultant Tim Donovan

Transportation/Driver Mukesh Bhai

Audio Supervision Jeffrey Brodsky

Produced in association with The Nanda Devi Campaign and

Featuring (in order of appearance):

Dahn Singh Rana, Kedar Singh Fonia, Rajiv Rawat, Pete Takeda, Rudra Singh Butola, Shravan Kumar, Nandan Singh Rawat, Shaukri Devi, Sunil Kantola, Atul Sati, Dr. Michael Green, Samir Sinha, Dr. P.S. Ramakrishnan, Rajiv Bhartari, Dr. Data Ram Purohit, David Meek, Bali Devi, Nandi Rana Devi, Justine Wilson, Narendra Singh Rana, Rajendra Singh Rana, Madhumati Ramesh, Bina Devi, Kundan Singh Rawat, Dayal Singh Rana, Amar Singh Panwar, Evangeline Heiliger and Shubhra Chaturvedi

2006 International Women’s Trek Participants, Group 1: Justine Wilson, Madhumati Ramesh, Evangeline Heiliger, Shubhra Chaturvedi

Special Thanks to the Rana Family, the Rawat Family, Harish Chandola, Jo Meek, Jesse Malmed, Patagonia, Inc., Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Center for Ecotourism and Sustainable Livelihoods, Jon Myers, Susan Ujcic, Jared Snyder, The Chemeketans, Elizabeth Krusi, Scott Ashcroft, Jana Vance, David Berenson, Madeleine Berenson, Rachel Nederveld, Brandon Sorg, Patrick Reilly, Jonah Adels, Clayton Parker, Evangeline Heiliger, Azure Akamay, Sue Lundy, Jonathan Breger, Cecca Wrobel, Chad Skowronski, Delia Raab-Snyder, Rory Donovan, Lane Rasberry, Arielle Ginsberg, Claudia Raab, Liz Scherer, Clare Levy Strom, Courtney Crawford, Amy Kent, Charu Chandra Tiwari, Laura Larsell, Jennifer Livingston, Lizzi Katz, Sarah Ashcroft, Sudhir Rawat, Ayni Raimondi, Joanna Picchi, Betsie De Wreede, Allison Cekala, James Mitchell, Christian Ervin, Stephen Shunk, Tyler Raney, Jacques Bernizan, Stefan Faidt, Alan Alexander, Alexis Yeh, and Will Koomjian

LINKS

Mountain Shepherds ——– Jade Ajani on YouTube ——- Janadhaar Blog

Nature Link ——— Patagonia, Inc. ————————– Janadhaar Tumblr