Kolkata :
Satyen Das was busy picking up passengers on his rickshaw at Geetanjali Metro station in Naktala when he got to know a documentary film—‘Ladakh Chale Rickshawala’ — on his rickshaw journey from Kolkata to Ladakh had won the Best Exploration/Adventure Film at the 65th National Film Awards announced in New Delhi on Friday.
By afternoon, when he got the news, the 44-year-old had already earned Rs 150, but he was more excited about the award. It’s his love for adventure that gave him the courage to fight all odds to complete the treacherous journey, says Das.
It turned out to be a life-changing moment for Das, when Indrani Chakraborty, a television producer from Naktala, hailed his rickshaw in 2014. During the short journey, she learnt that Das was planning to leave for Ladakh soon. He fished out old pictures of him visiting Puri and some places in north India on his rickshaw and showed it to her. At that moment, Indrani decided to shoot his journey to Ladakh and turn it into a film.
“I didn’t have the money to follow Satyen Das on his entire journey to Ladakh, so taught him to shoot on a handycam. It was tough when the handycam stopped working after he crossed Benaras and someone from my team had to rush to where he was and get it repaired. Two of my associates and I met him on the final leg of his trip in Ladakh,” says Indrani.
Das credits Indrani for helping him in completing the journey and doesn’t forget to thank some of his regular passengers and members of Naktala Agrani Sangha, a club in his neighbourhood.
“I drove my wife and daughter to Puri and north India and was inspired to take my rickshaw to Khardung La mountain pass, the world’s highest motorable road, 39 km Leh. I got help from Indranidi, a few of my passengers and members of Naktala Agrani Sangha. There were many challenges; every day, someone or the other would ask me to return to Kolkata. ‘You can go till Srinagar, not beyond,’ they told me. But I didn’t budge,” recalls Das.
For Das, food was as big an issue as the lack of oxygen and the inclement weather. “I carried basic ingredients like rice and potatoes. I would either have aloo chokha-bhaat or instant noodles; it was more of a fight for survival,” he says.
But the toughest part of his journey came when he reached Zoji La pass. “The roads were rough and there was no way that I could carry my belongings on the rickshaw and cover the 8-km stretch. I would offload everything on the road drive the rickshaw for a few metres and return to carry the things on my shoulder. It took an entire day to cross that stretch, but I didn’t stop. I wanted to create a record of sorts by reaching Khardung La.”
Das, who shot his journey on a handycam, was joined by a three-member camera team in Ladakh. “From thereon, there was no looking back. I returned to Ladakh again in 2017, this time with the message of fighting global warming. I sprinkled 5,000 date seeds along the way.”
His rickshaw has been put on display at the university campus set up by Sonam Wangchuk in Ladakh. Indrani, who helmed the documentary film, said even though the journey took two-and-a-half years to complete, it took her three years to finish this 64-minute film. She approached Films Division, which has taken the project under its wing.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Kolkata News / by Zinia Sen / April 04th, 2018