Nature’s Sentinels - Bishnoi

Hindi/28mins/1997
Producer: Y.N. Engineer, D.C.P., Films Division, Mumbai

Subject Focus: Contributions of Bishnoi community of Rajasthan in conservation of nature. 

Summary: This is a film on the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan. They believe in 29 principles relating to conservation of nature, of which the most important one concerns the preservation of trees, greenery and wild life.

Director’s Profile: Shankar Patnaik is a cameraman (Photography & Direction) in Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. He started his career as an Assistant Cameraman. Has shot around 220 documentaries and films news magazine. Has directed 8 films of which Nature’s Sentinels-Bishnoi won the 45th National Award for the Best Environmental/Conservation/Preservation/Awareness Film. A number of films photographed by him have won the National and International Awards (5 National and 4 International). He has also undertaken adventurous assignments, which include documentary film titled Thousand Days of Terror during the Blue Star Operation at Golden Temple, Amritsar.

Late Shri P.C. Sharma was a veteran documentary and short filmmaker, to whose credit are over a dozen films that have received National and International awards. His film Native Conflict has won Certificate of Highest Achievement by Man Inc., U.S.A. in the 1970 Chicago International Film Festival.