Shramdaan - A collective convergence towards self reliance

As soon as the lockdown hit in early 2020, we saw millions of migrant workers in India head back home. With no support from the government initially, the struggle to get back home was unbearable. Many made it, some did not. Once back home, the question of livelihood rose again. It's the same question that drove them to the cities for work in the first place.
Migration in India is a serious problem. Almost everyone saw and were empathetic to the pain of the migrant workers after lockdown. Shramdaans were incorporated by Ekta Parishad in the mitigation strategies across 5 states as a response to the migratory crisis due to COVID. This project has been supported by BMZ (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung) and Welthungerhilfe.

Shramdaan is a way of life - helping our community and contributing to help and change the environment around us for the better. Shramdaan shivirs included initiatives like pond cleaning and digging, maintenance of check dams, rejuvenation of wells, maintenance of ahar pyne. The concept of shramdaan has been prevalent for a long time in India. Shramdaan emphasizes on the dignity of labor and the more profound claim that all labor is equal socially. Religious harmony and acceptance of diversity in the society are the basis for Shramdaan activities.

The film broadly covers the story of this unique process. There are actual shots and interviews of people associated with it. Some graphical sequences determine the research involved in the production of the film. The film has been Shot in states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha with the community members. With a runtime of 13 minutes the film navigates through the various characters involved with this process and makes for an interesting flow.
Through the lens of a meticulous film maker the movie explores various facets of the deep rooted culture of community contribution of physical labour and explores how reviving Shramdaan can be a response to the migratory crisis in India.