the todas - a documentary
The Todas who live in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India have fascinated scholars for over a hundred years. Their population has remained constant throughout history; about 807 in 1901, 812 in 1971, and about 1 100 today. The population of India as a whole has, however, increased dramatically; 238 million in 1901, 548 million in 1971, and 1 148 million in 2008.
The Todas are reputed to have extraordinary skills in healing and telepathy, and their high ethical morality makes them exceptional among the other tribes in the Nilgiri District. Since the early 19th century, the Togas have been known as a people uninterested in owning property, and crime or robbery was, and is still unknown in their community.
The Todas do not cheat or lie, and as a result there are no words in their language to describe these vices. Physically, the Todas are much taller than the other tribes, and look like ancient gods as they majestically stride up the hilly paths in their white cloaks. Nobody really knows how the Todas and their gigantic buffaloes came to Nilgiri, but according to their philosophy, anyone, black or white, whose heart is good, is a Toda.
reasons for producing this documentary
Material ownership and economic prosperity have become the yardstick for measuring success in western societies. It is, however, almost obvious to everyone that we have, and still produce too many goods, which we do not necessarily need. And nowadays the trend is that when we have accumulated all the material possessions, which we hanker after, we still feel empty and frustrated and start to fill our spiritual emptiness with oriental spirituality - Buddhism and meditation. The Toda tribe is a materialized testimony of this spirituality, an anthropological window into the non-materialistic world that, we, westerners are striving to understand and experience. The Todas lifestyle shows us an alternative way to live and think.
We are battling in the valley of sorrows and pressure exerted by external forces. The narrator of the document, climbing up the hill to absorb the refreshing air of Toda wisdom, is a symbol of our emancipation from the clutches of rampant capitalism. He undergoes a process of spiritual rebirth as he moves up the hill, discarding some of his preconceptions and discovering new liberating realities, even though he still maintains his western outlook and the technical achievements of his society.
visual form
The narrator talks about the customs and beliefs of the tribe as recorded by W.H.R. Rivers in The Todas. The rolling blue mountains of Nilgiri are the paradisal scenery for the filming, and the beautiful flora and fauna, would provide a magnificent background. The camera follows the everyday life of the ordinary Toda, with the voice of the narrator in the background.
The stories are reinforced with elegant archive footage and parts of the scenes are shot in redesigned and constructed sets for filming. Documentary will be shot in HD format.
sound and music
Original songs of the Todas: Tsuyoshi Nara, Peri Bhaskararao.
Classical recordings of Southern India.
Recordings and archive with the Todas in Nilgiri.
Original recordings from the shootings of the documentary in the local surroundings and nature.
