Village Vibe

Village Vibe celebrates the art, culture and festivals of India’s village life. Urbanites aren’t the only ones who become social media stars, produce stunning art, enjoy food fads or follow fitness crazes. And as for festivals, there’s a totally different vibe in the villages.

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Golden needles, purple tea: Women-led estate shines in Arunachal 

Driven by an all-woman team, Donyi Polo Tea Estate in Arunachal Pradesh is pioneering sustainable tea cultivation and artisanal tea production, and breaking auction records.

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Have you been on these monsoon treks yet? 

With the rain gods having obliged us this monsoon, it’s a good time to pack your walking shoes and take off on a trek to the unexplored corners of the country. Village Square brings you five such lush trails.

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A filmmaker’s ode to craft on celluloid

Muzaffar Ali, the director of films such as Gaman, Umrao Jaan and Anjuman tells us why he chose to make 18 short films on Indian craft forms, one of which was screened at Village Square’s Chitrashaala short film festival.

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Rural themes resonate with celebs and cinema lovers at Chitrashaala

The inaugural edition of Chitrashaala, Village Square’s short film festival on rural India, saw the coming together of filmmakers, actors, cinema lovers and critics at the Alliance Francaise on August 3. Here’s a round-up for those of you who missed the fest!

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Moving mountains with rural-based themes on celluloid

Aravali the Lost Mountains, by Jigar Nagda, captures this conflict between the many facets of development. In a chat with Village Square, the filmmaker talks about his journey and mining in Rajasthan ahead of the screening of the film at the Chitrashaala short-film festival.

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Bittu –  A fiction film that borrows from real village life

Karishma Dev Dube, the director of Bittu, which was shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film segment at the 93rd Academy Awards, tells us more about the movie ahead of its screening at the Chitrashaala Short Film Festival.

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‘Cinema can capture a way of life that may soon get lost’

Cinema has the power to show all facets of society, says Stenzin Tankong, whose Last Days of Summer is being screened at Chitrashaala Short Film Festival. He tells us how his films portray Ladakh, and more.

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Taking a deep dive into climate issues through cinema

It wasn’t easy for filmmaker Priya Thuvassery to make Coral Woman, but she gained some novel experiences while making it. She tells us more about the movie, which will be screened at the upcoming Chitrashaala short film festival.

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‘I want to make movies about the northeast’

Riah Taipodia, the director of the film Khiew Ranei which will be screened at Village Square’s Chitrashaala Short Film Festival, talks to us about her movie and her dream of telling more stories from the northeast.