In north Bihar, the monsoon was a festive time. After a rain-washed night, women would often come out in their boats, singing and rejoicing the floods. The people had a positive association with the rivers, even though at times they were overwhelmed by the rising waters. Aware of every aspect of the floods – depth, duration and intensity – they took reasonable precautions.Over time, this has changed, and the people of north Bihar have gone from being ‘worshippers’ of floods to becoming ‘victims’ of floods.
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‘What can one do when there is so much water? Where does one go?’ , Senu Devi of Gobrahi village asks
The film featured here was shot from July to September 2015. It was made as a part of Sayantoni Palchoudhuri's 2015 PARI fellowship.
Camera and editing by Sambit Dattachaudhuri, a self-taught cinematographer and editor. Over the last two years, he has been collaborating on working on stories related to farming, public health and education.