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Degree Department

In the Shadow of the Tiger captions transcript

In the Shadow of the Tiger

Documentary about life in the villages surrounding the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal (Shiltong, South Paro, North Paro, Rajabathkava, and Bothia villages). Villagers and government officials describe a project by the World Bank to create wildlife reserves for endangered species, specifically the Bengal tiger. Villagers struggle to grow enough food, and elephants trample their fields. They were told to resettle elsewhere, but refused to leave their ancestral lands. Selling firewood is a main source of income for most, leading to deforestation in the reserve areas. Government officials committed to providing infrastructure (irrigation, roads, electricity, fences) on the condition that villagers stop cutting down trees on the reserve. The documentary ends with a letter from Tileswar Rabha stating that the villagers have ended their communication with the Forest Department after they shot a villager carrying firewood.
Date: 1998
Creator: Grundström, Veena & Karlsson, Beppe
System: The UNT Digital Library
Performance of Lai Haraoba pena ballads and dance captions transcript

Performance of Lai Haraoba pena ballads and dance

Video of a festival featuring dance and pena performances. Elders are shown assembling the pena. Pena cholom is where a group of pena balladeers play together organized by ranks where the highest ranking balladeer plays first, and so on. The structure and components of the pena are described. Other instruments similar to the pena are shown, like tingteila of the Tangkhuls, and Laa of Kabui (Rongmei). The final segment includes a voice-over in English describing spirituality and symbolism of pena culture in Manipur, and the Lai Haraoba celebration.
Date: 1999
Creator: Audio Visual Research Centre
System: The UNT Digital Library