Ganga Ma

"GANGA MA" FILM PROJECT
A pilgrimage through divinity and chaos.

Dating from the time our distant ancestors first wondered about the
mysteries of life, the sense of the sacredness of nature is among the
deepest-rooted concepts in human thought.  This reverence for the
natural world has not, alas, always been accompanied by a matching sense
of responsibility.  In the face of the immense power of natural forces,
humankind has often felt free to pursue material and technological
progress with little regard for its own impact on the balances inherent
in the natural order.

Life along the Ganges presents the contrast between these two sides to
our relationship with the natural world with unmatched intensity.  The
religious devotion to nature thrives amidst the contamination generated
by unbridled chemical waste and the sewers of megalopolis.  While the
forests that used to cover the plains of northern India have disappeared
forever to make room for an ever-expanding population and an
increasingly industrialized economy, hundreds of millions continue to
worship Mother Ganges (Ganga Ma) as the source of all life.

Following the path of the ultimate Hindu pilgrimage, videographers Pepe
Ozan, Melitta Tchaicovsky documented life along the
holy Ganges, from its mouth in the Bay of Bengal to its source in the
Himalayas one thousand five hundred miles away.

Itinerary:
In their six-month journey through the heart of Vedic culture the
videographers captured both the current degradation of the riverine
ecosystem and, in stark contrast, the ancient living traditions that
still regard it with the reverence reserved for the sacred.

Objective:
Though the dual tendency of humanity to both revere and despoil its
environment can be observed throughout the world,  in the valley of the
Ganges this contrast appears with unparalleled drama.  The videographers
hope that the presentation of the ancient Vedic teachings in their
contemporary context will provoke in Western viewers a deep questioning
of our relationship with others and our environment, pointing our
perceptions toward a higher degree of awareness.


Key points of the provisional itinerary:

- Ancient scripts and Hindu tradition suggest Sagar island at the mouth
of the Ganges as the starting point for our pilgrimage. Hundreds of
thousands of devotees descend to the island for the Gangasagar bathing
festival every year. Amidst devotional chants at the Kopil Muni Temple
the pilgrims descend to the waters with offerings and prayers in the
full moon of January.

-Further north, the magnificent city of Varanasi at the edge of the
river shelter the continuous burning of corpses and offerings to the
goddess Ganga.

-  The Kumbha Mela : Every twelve years the holy men of India gather at
the confluence of the Ganges and the Jamuna for the largest gathering of
people in the world, the Khumba Mela festival.  Arriving on elephants, 
camels, horses or by foot, many of them naked and covered with ashes, 
thirty million devotee congregate to worship Ganga Ma.

- Joining the steps of thousands of pilgrims who walk the last two
hundred miles to the river's source in the Himalayas, the team of
videographers will reach the Gangotri glacier, which gives birth to the
Ganges from an opening eroded in a twenty-five mile wall of ice. Before
the source, dozens of caves host the ascetics who await their deaths in
meditation.seven