Jigar Ganatra

Jigar Ganatrahttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/about/contributors/jigar-ganatraJigar Ganatrahttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/create/scholarships/film/2017/jigar-ganatraFollow Jigar's journey to India as he's mentored by professional filmmaker Brian Rapsey, and connects with the people of Kerala.2018-05-10T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/create/scholarships/film/2017/jigar-ganatrahttps://www.worldnomads.com<div class="scholarships-assignment-intro segment-margin-break"> <h3 class="Author">Jigar's assignment was to film the story of the sustainable tour operator, Kabani Tour, and learn how its programs are benefiting local communities.</h3> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h4>Where the dream rocket launched</h4> <p>Isolated from electricity, and engulfed by the omnipresence of Mother Nature in the deep Amazon rainforest, I received an email from World Nomads telling me that my film <em>Kiwi: The Untold Story </em>had been shortlisted for the 2017 Travel Film Scholarship. I found out how many applications I was up against – 1,200 total <span>applications</span> from around the world – and 20 short-listed films!</p> <p>It wasn’t until a few days later when I reached <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/south-america/peru/guide-to-the-peruvian-amazon">Iquitos</a>, the world’s largest city, inaccessible by road, that I had sufficient internet connection for the next stage of the selection process, a Skype interview.</p> <p>I was swinging in my hammock, beside the Rio Amazonas, humbled by the metamorphic river landscape. I began visualizing who I wanted to be as a filmmaker, and how my life would change if I won the mentorship opportunity. World Nomads called me and, after asking a few questions, I was told there was one more question one last thing to ask. My adrenaline spiked.</p> <p><span>“Jigar - we have one last question for you.”</span></p> <p><span>“Yes... sure thing?” I said.</span></p> <p>“Would you like to go on a two-week, all-expenses-paid film scholarship to India?”</p> <p>“YYYEEEEESSSSS! Hahahaha!” I jumped in <g class="gr_ gr_427 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="427" data-gr-id="427">ecstasy</g> and hugged everyone around me. I had won the scholarship!</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/LearnImages/film2017/jigar-on-assignment/jigar-on-assignment-in-article2.jpeg" alt="Brian mentoring Jigar" /><figcaption>Brian mentoring Jigar. Photo credit: Emily Willis</figcaption></figure> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h4>Day one in India</h4> <p>My ride from the airport was filled with sights of coastal coconut trees and mustachioed men in their <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94">lunghis</g>. That's when it kicked in, I’m in the South of India!</p> <p>When I met my mentor <a href="/create/learn/film/behind-the-lens-interview-with-filmmaker-brian-rapsey">Brian</a> on the first day, I knew I was in for a serious crash course in professional travel filmmaking. As Brian began flattening the color profiles on my <g class="gr_ gr_486 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="486" data-gr-id="486">camera</g> and geeking out about the awesome microphones <a href="http://en.rode.com/?utm_source=worldnomads" target="_blank">RØDE Microphones</a> had sponsored us with, we were interrupted by the sounds of people rallying outside. I ran down to test my new mic amongst the chaotic campaigning. The <g class="gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="96" data-gr-id="96">ralliers</g> began posing for me and shouting their slogans to my camera. Brian began to photograph me filming, while Emily, our producer, was posting a story of me to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldnomads/?hl=en" target="_blank">World Nomads’ Instagram</a> profile. I won’t lie...I felt a bit like a celebrity at this point and began realizing how lucky I was to get this opportunity.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/LearnImages/film2017/jigar-on-assignment/jigar-on-assignment-in-article6.jpeg" alt="The rally in Kerala" /><figcaption>The rally in Kerala. Photo credit: Emily Willis</figcaption></figure> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h4>The Gandhi of tourism</h4> <p>During the trip, not only did I become an intrepid filmmaker, through Brian, but I also learned a lot about sustainable development from Sumesh.</p> <p>Sumesh <span>Mangalasseri</span>, an intellectual villager and founder of <a href="/explore/southern-asia/india/responsible-travel-in-kerala">Kabani Tour</a>, is a man of no ego. Dressed in a typical Keralan <g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="97" data-gr-id="97">lunghi</g> with a sustainably sewn betel-nut shirt, every conversation with him was enlightening. His decentralized organization is pioneering sustainable tourism in Kerala. In particular, it has helped farmers struck by a devastating agrarian crisis, to diversify their income and become more resilient to climate change. It's also helped empower housewives through cross-cultural exchange and exposure to other realities. His organization is not formed by tourism experts, but rather by local visionary activists who are transforming the status quo of destructive travel in <a href="/explore/southern-asia/india/things-to-see-and-do-in-kerala">Kerala</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/LearnImages/film2017/jigar-on-assignment/jigar-on-assignment-in-article7.jpeg" alt="Jigar walking with Sumesh and other Kabani staff member" /><figcaption>Jigar walking with Sumesh and another Kabani staff member. Photo credit: Emily Willis</figcaption></figure> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h4>God's own country</h4> <p>I did not expect to connect on such a deep level with the gorgeous people of Kerala. Mary, one of our homestay providers, welcomed us with her angelic smile and mouth-watering food. One morning at <g class="gr_ gr_136 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Style multiReplace" id="136" data-gr-id="136">5am</g>, I went to do yoga with her, along with all the other villagers, at the bamboo structure in the center of the village. By the time we opened our eyes after meditation, the sun had risen. Daniel, the teacher, found out that I taught yoga too, and invited me to show everyone a couple of asanas. I really felt the love from everybody as they paid attention to what I had to share. On my second week, I remember laying on the pristine backwater beach, stargazing with Sumesh and Binu, while singing old Bollywood songs. It was all too magical for words… I guess that’s why they call it God’s own country.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/LearnImages/film2017/jigar-on-assignment/jigar-on-assignment-in-article1.jpeg" alt="Jigar with Kabani and World Nomads teams" /><figcaption>Jigar with Kabani Tour and World Nomads team. Photo credit: Binusha JB</figcaption></figure> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h4><span>Taking it to the next level, man</span></h4> <p>I learned a great deal just being around Brian; not just the technical and theoretical stuff, but also practical things that I would never have learned otherwise. The biggest lesson he taught me was to elicit an enthusiastic response from the subject I was <a href="/create/learn/film/15-pro-tips-for-getting-a-great-interview">interviewing</a> in an uncontrived way. This skill has helped me off camera too – to become more empathetic to the people I talk to. In many ways, filmmaking is a spiritual process. Alchemy involves a personal transformation through breaking limits and expanding my creativity.</p> <p>The scholarship didn’t end after two weeks. Coming back home, there were over 25 edits going back and forth between Brian and me, before the final product. There were many days I tore my hair out finding ways to make the story more concise, and feeling that I was a terrible filmmaker. However, in the end, my tenacity in Brian’s feedback, and persistence in trying to make this the best scholarship film, paid off.</p> <p>I was forced to detach myself from my own perspective and see my work through a stranger's eyes. This was the most important skill I learned during the editing process, and I believe it’s what’s needed to be a good filmmaker. These invaluable lessons would have otherwise taken me years to learn, even if I had chosen to go to film school. So if you’re reading this, thanks a tonne Brian, World Nomads, Kabani Tour, and all the sponsors of the film, for jump-starting my career and equipping me with what I need in the next steps of my journey.</p> <p>I write this in a guest house 7,500ft (2,300m) up in the Himalayas, embarking on my next filmmaking journey to a Buddhist monastery in Northern India.</p> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h4>Watch Jigar's film:</h4> <p><a class="Play" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_PEqYhh4kU&t=152s?autohide=1&showinfo=0&controls=0" title="Play media" data-lity=""><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/make-a-difference/index-responsible-travel/sustainable-travel-kerala-india-lead.jpeg" alt="Sustainable Tourism in Kerala, India" /> </a></p> <p></p> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-intro segment-margin-break"> <h4 class="segment-centered"></h4> </div>Brian Rapsey 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/sustainable-travel-in-kerala-indiaJigar Ganatra travels to Kerala, India, to learn about the work of Kabanitour, an organization helping tourism become a sustainable part of the economy. 2018-05-02T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/sustainable-travel-in-kerala-indiahttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>For a long time in <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southern-asia/india/things-to-see-and-do-in-kerala">Kerala</a>, unregulated tourism meant large corporations were running the show. In their wake, the local community suffered through large-scale development and environmental pollution. Very little of the money made from tourism found its way to the local economy which was already suffering from an agrarian crisis. </p> <p>That's when <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southern-asia/india/responsible-travel-in-kerala" target="_blank">Kabanitour</a> founder, Sumesh Mangalasseri had the idea to promote tourism as a development opportunity for the affected communities. By training local people as homestay providers and tour operators, Kabanitour creates employment opportunities that support the tourism industry, building economic and environmental resilience and providing a better quality of life across various villages in Kerala. The success of its operation not only benefits the local villages but also provides travelers with an authentic local experience.</p> <p>We sent our 2017 <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/create/scholarships/film/">Travel Film Scholarship</a> winner Jigar Ganatra on assignment to speak to Sumesh about the work of Kabanitour and how it has helped tourism become a sustainable part of the economy.</p>World Nomads 0

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