New Delhi: A three-day festival of films on the role of scientists and scientific institutions during the independence movement came to an end here on Sunday with the distribution of awards.
The event titled `Swantatrata Ka Vigyan Filmotsav’ was organised by The Ministry of Science and Technology’s VigyanPrasar, Vijnana Bharati and Film Division, Mumbai to celebrate the landmark 75th anniversary of India’s independence. It is part of a year-long and pan-India celebrations -` Swantatrata Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
The first prize of Rs.1,50,000/- with trophy and certificate is shared by two entries. One film titled `seekers of the sun’ focused on the history of solar studies from the pre-Independence period till date. It was produced by Enscitec and directed by Rakesh Rao. The other first prize-winning film titled `Sarkar’talks about Dr ML Sircar who had promoted science during the pre-Independence era in a big way. It was produced and directed by Manoj Patel.
The Second prize of Rs.1,00,000/- with trophy and certificate was also shared by two films. One film titled `HaathkaagajSanstha Pune-Bharat kiekVirasat’revolves around an indigenous handmade paper project. It was produced and directed by Dr. BalkrishnaDigambarDamle. The other film titled `Kamala: The Swadeshi Nutriindian’is based on one of the first Indian women scientists. She had worked in the area of nutrition. It was produced by EMMRC, Pune, and directed by Sameer Sahasrabudhe.
The third prize of Rs.75,000/- with trophy and certificate was shared by three films. The first film titled `His Experiments with Science’ highlights Mahatma Gandhiji’s experiments with various scientific processes such as health, modern medicine, and naturopathy. It was produced by Vibhore Video Vision and directed by Aditya Seth. The second film titled `Ramanujan: The Man who knew Infinity’ underlines the achievements of the eminent mathematician. It was produced by ParidhiParmar and directed by Rahul Khadia. The third film titled `Sciendependence’ depicts the contributions of various Indian scientists during the freedom movement. It was produced by Suparno Pal and directed by Suman Banerjee.
National Organising Secretary of VijnanaBharati, Jayant Sahasrabudhe, said the holding of the film festival on the specific theme of the role of scientists in the Independence movement was particularly important since a distinguishing feature of the British rule in India was that it sought to establish itself in the country with the help of science and technology and it was essential that the people of the country knew how they did and how several Indian scientists fought against attempts to suppress them.
Vice-Chancellor of MakhanlalChaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, K.G.Suresh, and Director General, Films Division of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Smita Vats Sharma, emphasised the need to encourage the use of popular media like films to create awareness about aspects like the role played by scientists in the independence movement.
The awards function followed a panel discussion, where jury members, Mukeshkumar of NarseeMonjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai, Dr. ChandramohanNautiyal of Indian National Science Academy, Prof Danish Iqbal of JamiaMiliaIslamia, and Rizwan Ahmed of Maulana Azad National Urdu University welcomed the effort made to hold a special film festival focused on the role of scientists in the independence movement and hoped more such initiatives would take place in coming times. (India Science Wire)