Wangala Part 2

The Garos are some of the most interesting and intriguing people of India. They are an ancient race of Tibetan origin who settled in the north-east hill regions in pre-historic times. Being almost secluded from the mainstream of change in the rest of the country for many centuries, their culture is still pristine and traditional. However, not many outside their race know about them. The interest about a largely unknown people, coupled with the desire to travel to the remote Meghalaya, has been the impulse behind this short documentary film. It shows one woman on a journey of discovery as she travels deeper and deeper into Garo land, and finally the richness of the experience she has, learning about a way of life that is threatened on all sides by encroaching advances of urban civilization. This film documents their everyday lives and also their myths and religion, and tries to take a look at the world through their eyes. It finds out about the benevolent nature of their religion and philosophy, and the religious dimension about most of their actions, even their festivals and revelry. And it raises some important questions, not the least of which is whether we can help this fast-vanishing people survive, and whether government action is relevant. The traveling woman's wanderlust will not let her settle in one place, and fascinating as the Garo-s may be, she is seen at the end of this film to be heading east, in the direction of the land of the Khasi-s, a tribe similar to the Garo-s but with a distinct culture of their own.