CMS Vatavaran 2006- 2nd Environment & Wildlife Traveling Film Festival

Title:Dance with hands held tight
Language/ Duration/Year/ Format (DVD)/ Price: Different Indian Languages/60mins/ 2005/ DV/ DVD Rs. 1000

Summary: 86 per cent of rural women are engaged in agriculture. In 92 per cent of the rural households energy needs is met by firewood. The landless and the poor mostly women among them, procure 90 per cent of this firewood from the forest commons. The sea supports livelihoods of 400,000 women just along the short 300 kilometres of coast of Karnataka.

This intense relationship of women and natural resources across the country, throws up a whole range of issues and questions. Does the policy recognize this intensity? Do we all at large value the knowledge systems, which may have developed among these women? How have women coped with coercion from State in their accessing of natural resources? This film tries to explore these questions.