Bengaluru-based filmmaker Adithyaa Sadashiv has made a feature-length documentary known as ‘Naati Beeja’ (the Organic Seed) could be a flick on G H Kashinath, a veteran progressive Agriculturist and social reformer from Kadur Taluk, Chikmagaluru district, Karnataka. Kashinath has been the backbone within the upliftment of his village and transfer out folks from impoverishment.
At the time once folks from his village
Were active farming mistreatment native cows, he introduced “Amruth Mahal” breed cows that were appropriate for plowing of land and different agricultural activities. For the primary time in state within the year 1960 he introduced mass weddings to chop down lavish expenses on weddings beneath the name Navajeevana Darshana Mantapa associate degreed he set an example by moving into union within the same mass wedding. Within the year 1962-63 once Sri Gurukrupa establishment was started in his village, he was the member; he then later became the director of the establishment in 1974. At the time once the college had solely boy’s hostel, along with his determination and energy Kashinath started a women hostel with simply half dozen women, that currently crosses over one hundred. G H Kashinath could be a centered husbandman United Nations agency has been into agriculture, rural development and welfare work. He’s leading a substantive and committed life for eight decades. He’s our state’s model and a proud Kannadiga.
After his graduation from Visual Communication, he have been working as a full time professional filmmaker and an artist.
In 2018, he started an independent creative studio “Vinyas” which focuses and documents stories of unknown and unseen personalities living in and around Karnataka. Since the inception of his studio, Adithyaa have made and edited several independent documentaries and experimental films, some of which are Adi Tala, The Organic Seed, The Selected Book, Whispering Melodies, Vyoma, Black and many others.
Apart from being a filmmaker, he is a visual artist and since the inception of my artistic journey 6 years ago through exposition to Heritage forms, artifacts, objects and monuments of my state of Karnataka, his oeuvre has gone through profound changes over a period of time.
While he continues to work and research on a series of paintings on objects of Heritage i.e. Sewing Machine, my other series on the concept of Shapes and Forms are happening parallel to the latter. These series are based on his understanding of how basic Shapes and Forms guide, correspond, behave and correlate with one another and finally arrive at a center point or the Bindu (in Hindi language) through which energy manifests.
In order for Adithyaa to work on any of the above subjects, the contribution and influence by his father, Dr M S Murthy, a renowned and senior artist from Karnataka, is predominant. Apart from his father being a driving force for him as a young artist, He follow a very niche circle of thinkers, philosophers and spiritual personalities like J Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi and many others who are very closely related to his work.
“I had my first solo show in Goa in 2019 at the Goa State Museum and have participated in several group art exhibitions in India and around the world. My paintings are part of many private collections in Delhi, Goa, China, United States, Philippines and many more”, says Adithyaa .
Speaking about his achievements in the field of film he said, I have made many short documentaries, The Selected Book and Whispering Melodies and my debut feature documentary was the “The Organic Seed”. Apart from Documentaries, my interest also lies in experimental filmmaking which caters to a niche audience; all of these films have been part of several film festivals in India and around the world and has won many prestigious awards like the Jury Mention Award and Special Mention Award from Dadasaheb Film Festival Delhi, Best Feature Length Documentary Award for The Organic Seed in Eurasia International film Festival Russia and many others.
Expert :
Who inspired you and why did you choose this genre?
My father has been my biggest inspiration in any work that I do. It is he who encouraged me to take up the field of filmmaking and especially film editing. After my graduation, I studied and worked under Sri A S Kanal and Smt Jayashree Kanal from Pune. A S Kanal is a senior and renowned cinematographer and former Dean of Cinematography Department in FTII, Pune. Jayashree Kanal is a well known screenwriter and is a professor at the FTII, Pune.
Documentary Filmmaking has always been an interest and curiosity to me; it has been a serious medium of Filmmaking and has been neglected by many. After having met and experienced the stories of several unique personalities in Bangalore, I felt the need to document their stories before they vanish or disappear in our society.
How many days/years it took to make documentary movie?
The documentary film ನಾಟಿ ಬೀಜ (The Organic Seed) took almost a year to get completed, this included the research, shooting, post production and promotion. I came across Sri G H Kashinath through a family friend K S Mariswamy, who is a student of Kashinath and it took us almost a month to research and plan the film. We started the shooting in 2019 and finished it by the mid 2020.
Why did you name it has The organic seed ( Naati Beeja)?
The title of the documentary film “The Organic Seed” was suggested by my father. G H Kashinath has always implemented organic means of agriculture and farming, all his activities have more or less been organic. He has spent almost 6 decades selflessly trying to improve the economic and social conditions of the farmers. In the agricultural field, organic seeds are found in limited quantities unlike the other kinds of seeds which are used for sowing, G H Kashinath is one of the few unknown organic seeds living silently amongst us in the society.
What were your drawbacks, when you were making movie?
There weren’t any major drawbacks which could hinder the process and progress of the film. As Kashinath is an aged person (85 years old), he would often get exhausted after having a lengthy interview and was not very comfortable moving around. However, despite his age, he fully cooperated with us throughout the making of the film.
Apart from making documentary what do you do?
Apart from Documentary Filmmaking and Editing, I am a painter as well. I have been a full time visual artist since the last six years and have my debut solo show of my watercolour paintings at the Goa State Museum in 2019 and also have been part of several group art exhibitions in India and abroad. My initial exposure to visual arts was through Heritage images and forms after my visit to the Heritage village in Manipal founded by Late Dr Vijayanath Shenoy.
What do you think about latest technologies is being used in farming sector?
Mahatma Gandhi rightly said “The soul of India lies in its villages”. Agriculture has been the biggest contribution to India’s development and it has progressed along with the other sectors of our country. While there are several scientific techniques and methods introduced by the government to improve the conditions of the farmers, it has led to the agriculturists and farmers becoming excessively dependent on technological advancements rather than independently finding a solution to their problems. G H Kashinath has always advocated that a farmer must be completely aware of the environment and surrounding in which he lives; this includes the type of soil in his land, the weather conditions in his area and specific types of crops which can be grown in his land. In fact, none of the disputes happening in Kashinath’s village ever reached the courthouses and police stations for a solution; all of the disputes were solved by Kashinath and members of the village panchayath. So, I believe it is important for a farmer to be self independent or “Atma Nirbhar” which has been practiced and advocated by our country for a while now. “Currently I am preparing for my upcoming solo exhibition at the Gallery Time and Space in Bengaluru. There are several editing projects lined up and I am also working on a few independent documentaries which are still under the wraps”, says Adityaa.
