Apr 22 2024 to Apr 22 2024 6:30 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

35 mins | Kannada, English with English Subtitles | India Honavar, a coastal town mostly famous for pre-wedding shoots and great scenic routes, a community full of men and women connected to fishing, have been coming together to save the nesting grounds of the Schedule one species Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. The privatisation plans for the beach would lead to the nesting grounds being ruined thus the death of the next generation of sea turtles in the region. This is a heartwarming story of how humans bond with nature and also come together to protect it. In 2010, the Karnataka government identified a site for a proposed port alongside an estuary of the Sharavathi River in the town of Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district. Since then, local residents of villages such as Tonka 1 and 2, which are located on this sandspit of land known as Kasarkod have been protesting against the construction of the proposed port. Fisherfolk inhabit these picturesque seaside villages whose beaches are also a crucial Olive Ridley turtle nesting site. The residents and environmentalists state that the port would destroy this crucial turtle nesting site in coastal Karnataka. The annual nesting patterns of the Olive Ridley turtles are closely followed by the local fishing community and a pooja is also conducted when the hatchlings head to the sea. Locals also contend that the port would destroy their livelihood as it would have an impact on fishing. As it is, the dry fishing industry which used the land now taken over by the port authorities, has already stopped functioning. Another concern cited by environmentalists is that the sandspit of land identified as the site of the proposed port is situated on an unstable piece of land that is prone to erosion which would make it unusable for a port. Activists also claim that the building of a port would also mean the laying of a four-lane road that passes through these villages which are a breach of Coastal Regulation Zone norms. The fisherfolk’s opposition to the port has also led to instances over the past few years when protestors have been arrested by the district authorities. While their protests so far have not been successful, villagers have vowed to continue their battle till all the legal routes have been exhausted. The screening of the documentary will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker, Vikas Badiger, Sandeep Hegde of the Honavar Foundation and fisherman, Rajesh Govind Tandel, moderated by journalist, Vikhar Ahmad. A Q&A with the audience will follow.