The film entitled Machi, which means ‘Fish’, follows a small group from a Tharu household carrying out their traditional practices two days before the start of the Maghi festival. Unfortunately their fishing expedition yields a very poor catch and that is reflected in the poem which provides a touching yet beautiful commentary to the film. The poem was written and recited by Sangita Guruwa, one of the group going fishing, and describes how the once plentiful and varied fish stocks have now become very scarce - this is attributed partly the sharp rise in new damaging practices like electrofishing and blasting. In recent times legislation has been passed to ban these destructive fishing techniques but it will take a long time for the fish to recover and the loss of biodiversity to be reversed. Through the poem Sangita expresses the hope that fish stocks can recover and regain their place within the cultural and environmental ecosystem which are interlinked for the Tharu. Her thoughtful words help us understand how she has experienced her environment change around her over time - her youth and playfulness in the past, some of the pain of the present and her hopes for the future. The Dangaura are the largest of several groups of Tharu that live throughout the Terai of Nepal and also to a lesser extent in districts across the border in India. The Tharu are the second largest indigenous ethnic group in Nepal.
The film entitled Machi, which means ‘Fish’, follows a small group from a Tharu household carrying out their traditional practices two days before the start of the Maghi festival. Unfortunately their fishing expedition yields a very poor catch and that is reflected in the poem which provides a touching yet beautiful commentary to the film. The poem was written and recited by Sangita Guruwa, one of the group going fishing, and describes how the once plentiful and varied fish stocks have now become very scarce - this is attributed partly the sharp rise in new damaging practices like electrofishing and blasting. In recent times legislation has been passed to ban these destructive fishing techniques but it will take a long time for the fish to recover and the loss of biodiversity to be reversed. Through the poem Sangita expresses the hope that fish stocks can recover and regain their place within the cultural and environmental ecosystem which are interlinked for the Tharu. Her thoughtful words help us understand how she has experienced her environment change around her over time - her youth and playfulness in the past, some of the pain of the present and her hopes for the future. The Dangaura are the largest of several groups of Tharu that live throughout the Terai of Nepal and also to a lesser extent in districts across the border in India. The Tharu are the second largest indigenous ethnic group in Nepal.
