DEATH LIFE ETC.

Sheer hillsides, wafts of mist, colourful prayer flags, a stream, snow, monks, singing bowls and melodies … Lachen in North Sikkim lies hidden in the Himalayas between Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. Semi-nomadic tribes have inhabited this place for generations. Until recently, only a dirt track led up here into the mountains, but now progress has arrived. An army of lorries and diggers have moved in. Thanks to the freshly lain tarmac the tourists are on their way. Young men showcase their handcrafts and antiquities. "Lachen will be the hottest destination", they confidently proclaim. Families still wash themselves in the stream, but the building works for a new bridge press on. The chopping of firewood has been forbidden since electricity arrived in the village to provide all the light the villagers need. Before there were just tigers in the forest, now there are satellite dishes on the rooftops. There are dances and firecrackers, a party and a procession, magnificent garments and old prayer books, but will tradition soon be just folklore? This meticulously composed audio-visual essay describes a village in transition and counts the costs of progress.

"Death Life Etc. is a journey into cultivated rituals and lapses keeping hope alive in the heart of historic ruptures that make workable fragments of Time. We are listeners to the chosen silence of people surviving a history that has nothing to do with memories anymore." Arghya Basu