Friends of Kaziranga- a Film on Unsung Heroes of The Park

Guwahati, Mar 5 : They toil hard and unsung with minimum bare facilities to protect the endangered rhino along with other animals and it is their conservation efforts that has brought fame and glory to Assam's Kaziranga National Park.

Forest guards of the Park have been long neglected but a 21-minute documentary film ''....and the Friends of Kaziranga'' by Assam's noted film editor Kaju is a humble effort to pay tribute to these guards who work against all odds to protect animals.

Be it natural disasters like floods or threat from both poachers and animals, forest guards work round the clock and it is entirely due to their efforts that the Kaziranga National Park has become the success story that it is today.

''I decided to make the film as there is no denying the fact that the commitment, dedication and untiring efforts of every forest guard is the key to the successful conservation story of the national park'', Kaju said.

These forest guards, who stay away from their families in anti-poaching camps located deep inside the forests of the
Park, face many hazards.

Till a few years ago they had to deal with these situations with outdated equipment and little monetary benefits, he added.

The monetary and infrastructural benefits for the guards have improved in recent years but still there is acute shortage of manpower and as a result, only a few of them have to cover vast areas for long periods.

The film, produced by Biswajit Borkakoti, begins with beautiful shots highlighting the exotic flora and fauna of the Park and it soon launches into the basic theme of the trials and tribulations of the forest guard.

''The film displays perfect editing sense in some intense moments of activities by the guard deep inside the jungles which is balanced with the shots of lectures by environmentalists and forest lawmakers in a seminar hall'', said noted film critic Chandan Sarma.

The film, on the one hand, portrays the struggle of the forest guards and on the other, their commitment to conservation and protection of wildlife, he said.

The filmmaker poignantly captures the scenes where the animals suffer during floods and the untiring efforts of the guards in protecting them from both inundation and poachers.

The background narration by popular Assamese actor Kapil Bora also adds to the quality of the film with vital information about the guards and the Park as the story unfolds.

''I have tried to convey to the viewers the genuine love and sense of belonging of the forest guards with the Park and its wildlife'', the director added.