Screening of film on Gangetic dolphins on November 15 at IIC, New Delhi

The inaugural screening of Mimesha Productions’ latest documentary “Children of the River – The xihus of Assam” will be held at the India International Centre Auditorium on November 15, 2007 at 6.30 pm.

The xihus, as they are known in Assam, are the fresh water Gangetic dolphins of the Brahmaputra, Ganges and other rivers of the subcontinent. They are among the most beloved and most vulnerable inhabitants of our rivers, less known than their popular sea cousins but equally friendly.

Until recently there were four species of river dolphins in the world including the Gangetic dolphins of South Asia and the Baiji of China, the Baiji is now extinct and today we have three. The film, shot on location on the Brahmaputra in Assam, looks at how human and dolphins have co-existed, but also how that relationship is breaking down in the face of economic pressures and poverty. They are caught for oil to be used as fish bait, but they also have safe havens where they celebrate the joy of survival.

Funded by The Ford Foundation, New Delhi, as part of a larger project of Promoting Conservation, Saving the Gangetic Dolphins in the Brahmaputra, being implemented by the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, Children of the River is directed by Maulee Senapati. Sher Chowdhury, a National Award winner, has given the music, Rajiv Mehrotra has lent his voice and I have scripted and produced it.