Roli Mittal Jalan

Every summer since 1988, the U.S public television series, Point of View, has shown documentary films. Since early in 2006, the documentary channel has been broadcasting documentaries 24/7.Cable television networks such as HBO, The History Channel, Discovery Channel and Bravo have similarly financed and aired many first-class documentaries. Bell Auditorium at the University of Minnesota became the first theatre in the U.S air exclusively documentary films. Film festivals such as the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the Yamagata Documentary Film Festival (Japan), and other film festivals are all devoted exclusively to the art of documentary.

And now shifting focus to the documentaries in Nepal, one cannot help but mention the much admired Tenzin Seshi, a robust 34 year old Tibetan man who speaks English in an eruption of phrases gleaned from quotes and Hollywood movies.

Being less scholarly and instead fascinated by glitz and glamour, Tenzin began a modeling career in 1998.Regrettably it wasn’t successful, but he persevered in the arts and in 2009 he congregated all that he had to solely organise a Tibetan cultural dance, universally known as Lung Ta, in Boudha. The event got him his first taste of triumph and also made Tenzin quite popular amongst the foreign tourists, many of who were also filmmakers. He was soon catapulted to the azure skies of cinema. Primarily he was casted in minor roles of international documentaries in countries like Germany, America and Russia.

Nevertheless Tenzing’s quest for cinema was escalating at rapid speed when in 2000 he seized an opportunity to work under a German director named Thorson Grun who not only included him in two important projects, ‘Baby massage’ and ‘Mahayana audination’, but also taught him one of the most critical component of film making- editing.

And then, in 2002, a contemporary expedition threw him into the centre of the documentary world when he worked under French director, Eric Valli, for National Geography for an assignment called ‘Honey Hunter’. In the same year he also worked with a young American director called Christ making a documentary about Tibetan singers who sang pop, rock, blues and jazz.

But it was in the closing stages of 2002 when, like a volcano about to erupt, Tenzin burst onto the stage, his raw, amateur passion driving to direct his first documentary feature film. In addition to directing, he caste and produced the film, entitled ‘Melong’ (there’s no creator or no creation, our mind is greater), exclusively on his own. **which he first projected in Bodhgaya, a holy assemblage where Tibetans from all around the globe gather. No prizes for guessing the answer, not only did he gross profit but also grossed a lot of appreciation for being the first Tibetan director as a certificate to which he was called in 2003 to Switzerland by Tibetan woman association to telecast his movie in one of the most legendary theater

Now, Like someone rightly said along with some fleeting rays of light also comes a tableau of darkness so Tenzin too was grown by stern authoritative parents who like old school thinking wanted him to do a course in engineering and get a decent job but a rebel he was. He locked himself in a begrimed space with basic necessities learning all he could about films; from the Internet, exploring his camera, writing scripts etcetera

This he did for four long years until came a day when he apprehended that the acquaintance he acquired some technical polish for which he enrolled himself in AAFT (Asian academy of film and television).

Now coming back to today Tenzin has finished his second documentary again solely produced by him labeled ‘Miliu Rinopoche'(Precious human life) and is now mastering on his third feature film labeled the ‘Great misfortune life’ due to release on the Dec 25th

And finally like one knows when ends a caterpillar comes a butterfly, in the same manner Tensing too while talking of the procrastinated future rightly claims that until now he has only fulfilled his dream by directing three movies that belonged to his native language Tibet but the vision is still left where he hopes to direct movies not only for Nepal where cinema is still to mature leaps and bounds but also for international cinema.

Am I the same girl with thick geeky specks who recalls listening to stories of her great grandmother worshipping sun as God because it was the only visible and powerful thing was venerated? Am I the same little daddy’s girl who understood when he explained that ‘the sun gives us heat and light and helps us to remove darkness and brings light all around the world’? Am I the same girl with a clasped ponytail and Pinocchio nose who would run from her mothers lap just to peep through the window every morning to see the birds welcome the sun with a lovely chirping song? Am I the same girl who, at age five, would sit beneath the sun for an hour just because her aunt told her that sun provides vitamin D which is essential for your skin? And finally am I the same girl who when she saw the sun fully rise would yell to her little brother excitedly ‘it’s a new day, it’s a new day’?

Caught up in the vortex of my hectic professional life, I don’t know if I realize the importance of the sun and summers anymore. But I still memorize the times that I did. So pacing through the wheels of my past, I remember back in school where I learnt two facts aboutsummer:

One: summer is usually the warmest season of the year, occurring between spring and autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere that is June, July, and August. Or, as calculated astronomically, summer is the period extending from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox. The second fact was we were guaranteed a two month vacation.

And then in a gazebo amidst lime green lemonade, golden hued tans, Clinique- SPF 40, and lots of giggles came college. Here my knowledge extended a little more and I started thinking of summer as this seasonal delight when it was perfectly acceptable to ogle shirtless guys like it was a sport, wear your bikini, strapless, bandeau or halter neck day and night, and play even harder than you work.

As if a spell, my innocence in school and kinkiness in college passed away like an open bottle of scotch. Presently I am almost dehydrated wrestling with a crafted couch in my small dingy room without an A. C, literally roaring at the sun like I never loved it earlier. Still frustrated with the partially functional cooler and my perplexed nutty brain that was trying to convince me that summer wasn’t that bad, I switched on the idiot box to catch a glimpse of my favorite fashion TV. Of course they were simply showing the scents and style of summer.

Now that I don’t watch anything apart from fashion TV, I started irritably gazing at the crÃ¨me de la crÃ¨me of the fashion industry dressed up in hues of rich red, gorgeous green, beautiful blue, pretty purply pinks, yummy yellow posing and pouting in front of multihued striped walls and dreamy shelled beaches.

I presume my brain deciphered my instant liking for summers and only when the scorching heat passed away with a watermelon cocktail. I was reminded ‘don’t let the dull dead summers take on you woman! Summer is red, white and blue. It’s flags and fireworks, hot dogs and mustard, cold watermelon and sweet corn and its much more that you are failing to see.’

I realized at once that the innocence of school and kinkiness of college wasn’t lost after all. Fashion TV and my wit managed to remind me of the tinges and vogues of summer. But, still, don’t the roasted rays of summer really get to you sometimes? So what do you do? Perhaps sit idle indoors or maybe surf the net. Ultimately, though, summer is bound to come around every year so the best solution is just to embrace it.

Splendid ways to thrash the summer heat

Come summer and its time to think of ways to beat the heat. While having fun in the sun, we may actually throw caution to the wind! Dr. G S Rao, Managing Director of Yashoda Hospitals, says that heat-related ailments can really be injurious if not immediately addressed.

According to Dr. Rao, some of the most ordinary ailments we face in such high temperatures include dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat cramp, skin diseases, heat (or sun) strokes and water-borne diseases like diarrhea. In order to prevent dehydration, make sure you drink lots of water. ‘Symptoms of dehydration include thirst, light-headedness, dry skin, fatigue, less-frequent urination, dizziness, muscle cramping and dry mouth,’ says Dr Rao.

People also have a tendency to suffer heat strokes during this season. These can be fatal as well resulting in death. Heat stroke symptoms include headache, dizziness, high body temperature, dry, flushed and hot skin without sweat, confusion or disorientation, fatigue or sluggishness, rapid heartbeat, seizure and hallucinations. ‘If someone is stricken with heat stroke, move the person indoors, remove clothes, apply ice packs to groin and armpits, apply cool water and fan to stimulate sweat and call for medical assistance immediately,’ advises Dr.Rao.

Another ailment that crops up in high temperatures is diarrhea. ‘Diarrhea generally occurs due to food poisoning, a health hazard faced due to consumption of contaminated food. Summer is characterized by high heat as well as humidity that are considered as main factors for high contamination of food with bacteria, since bacteria thrive in these conditions,’ explains Dr Rao.

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