What made a man survey over 4,000 kilometres of India’s coastline on foot over 19 years as he studied the different varieties of turtles? Turtle Walker, director Taira Malaney’s documentary, puts the spotlight on late conservationist Satish Bhaskar, whose studies have formed the foundation for turtle conservation in India. The 75-minute docu is set to open the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) on December 4, thus bringing Bhaskar’s efforts to a wider audience.
Malaney began work on Turtle Walker in 2018, sitting with Bhaskar as he recounted his solo travels that began in the 1970s taking him across Kerala, Gujarat, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, and Lakshadweep, among others. The documentary took seven years to be made. The director says she was moved by Bhaskar’s dedication to the protection of the endangered turtles. “Satish Bhaskar’s story has illuminated in me a deep wonder for our marine world,” says Malaney.
Taira Malaney; (right) Producers Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar
For producers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, throwing their weight behind Turtle Walker was a no-brainer. As Akhtar puts it, “It’s a tribute to a man’s quiet heroism. Satish Bhaskar’s journey reminds us how special every living being is.”
4,000-plus km
The distance of India’s coastline that Satish Bhaskar reportedly covered on foot during his expeditions
Did you know?
In his decades-long turtle conservation efforts, Bhaskar used to spend months alone on uninhabited islands, and would reportedly resort to writing letters, sending them off in glass bottles