Aizawl: A documentary titled “Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw” was screened at the International Film Festival in Goa. The film, directed and produced by Shilpika Bordoloi, the Director of Brahmaputra Cultural Foundation, earned its place among the twenty films selected in the non-feature category. The screening took place on Wednesday, captivating audiences with its culturally rich narrative.
The documentary, based on an MPhil dissertation by PC Lalrindika from the Department of History and Ethnography at Mizoram University, unfolds the unique and poignant story through the lens of Cheraw, the bamboo dance, and ritual folklore. The film, titled “Mau: The Spirit Dreams of Cheraw,” is an exploration of the forgotten memory of mothers who succumbed to childbirth.
An official description of the documentary says it is characterized as a “performance documentary film” that unveils the deeply rooted cultural significance of Cheraw. The dance and ritual folklore serve as conduits to reveal the poignant narrative of mothers who lost their lives during childbirth. The film takes the audience on a re-imagined journey through the dance of the mother spirit, shedding light on the profound role of Cheraw in pacifying the soul of the departed mothers.
Bamboo dance, a cultural gem embedded in the geo-political history of Mizoram and various other states in the North-east, becomes a focal point in the documentary. The film presents the loss of this intergenerational maternal memory as a cultural crisis, reflecting the climate and ethos of the region.
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Shilpika Bordoloi is a practitioner, choreographer, director, teacher, curator, and performer. She is the founder and works as the Artistic Director of Brahmaputra Cultural Foundation (BCF), a space of—and for—community participation, leadership, artistic journeys/performances, exchanges, and education through arts and culture.
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