Group of artists from city wants to experience river’s ecosystem
Pa. Madhavan
Chennai: With its overwhelming stench and dirt, many forget that Cooum was once a free flowing and clean river. Now a group of artists has come together with the aim of giving the river back its identity. From July 21-28, a group of writers, poets, painters, photographers and documentary film- makers will walk and live along the Cooum, creating art inspired by the river.
Pa. Madhavan, the curator of the event, a photographer and a self proclaimed Gandhian, organised a similar march in 2011, replicating Gandhi’s Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, Gujarat. The walk this time is called “Walk Along the River Cooum”.
The group will give regular updates including a three-minute documentary everyday on its Facebook page. It will also be “geotagging” (photographs, videos etc of the place they are at) on its website Walkingalong.com.
The walk is open to anyone interested, even if they only want to stay for a few hours. Starting from Cooum village in Thiruvallur district, the group will cover 10 kilometres everyday to traverse the 72 km river, the shortest classified river draining into the Bay of Bengal. His decision to choose Cooum was not based on any research.
“It could have been any river, but it is sad that people in Chennai don’t see it as a river anymore.” Madhavan, also the executive director of Goa Centre for Alternative Photography, will document his walk through the lens of his camera.
Ten people are joining him for the march from across the country. Ajit Bahadoriya, photographer from Delhi has decided to join in to “find a displaced river and help people fall in love with it again”. Mahar also a photographer has worked on a similar project in his hometown of Himachal and wants to try out a new project here.
Sarah Ramya from Chennai is a documentary film maker and the only woman to participate in the walk. The group has announced that the walk is non-political, non-religious and with no tie-ups with NGOs.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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