‘The Yamuna Children’
a short film
In the last few weeks India has been greatly affected by a second wave of the COVID-19 lockdowns with a “double mutant” variant that rapidly spread throughout the country. Vishakha, a close friend of mine living in the small town of Vrindavan, described the crisis as “coming out of nowhere” with an alarming amount of bodies being cremated on the banks of the Yamuna river. “Everyone I know, knows someone who passed away in these last few weeks. It’s very scary and very weird.”
Vishakha is an American woman living in Vrindavan, a town that is very close to my heart, where she has spent many years serving the community. She has played a key role in the non-profits founded by Vaishnava Chandan Goswami, my mother’s guru. Her nonprofit, Odev Seva, focuses on the care of elderly widows and sadhus, holy men and women who come to Vrindavan after renouncing their worldly desires. They have been particularly affected by the pandemic and right now Odev Seva is focused on providing medical assistance to those who have become ill, providing food and rations to those in need including the Yamuna Children and their families, and supplying oxygen to the local hospitals when they are able to buy it.
Given the severity of the covid-19 crisis, and the advent of a new strain that is lethal for all age groups, I am asking for your support where I will dedicate 100% of the donations made from this documentary screening to Odev Seva.
✨Thank you for watching and for your Donations to Odev Seva ✨
I made this documentary in 2018 when I was living in India and working to use arts education to connect with the local children. It was my 4th trip and living between two countries and cultures throughout my twenties had been proven to be a difficult adjustment. Every time I returned to the states I had to rebuild from scratch spiritually, socially, and physically. I had left school for two weeks to shoot this documentary and while editing I was recovering from a concussion and a bad cough. Despite feeling like there was still work to be done to perfect this project, looking back, I am proud of what I accomplished and hope it can help to provide a glimpse of the beautiful people in this once thriving community which deeply needs our support.
Music by Lalit Dixit: soundcloud
Filmed and Edited by Genevieve Ruddock. Starring the ‘Yamuna Children’
