This documentary is 50 hrs.It intends to depict the heritage of this river as well as the present conditions to arouse an awareness to the generations to come.The documentary have been split into 25-30 minutes,each focusing on specific topics,for easy viewing and reference.And it was aleady screened more than 50 venues all over India.Finally it is selected in the 1 st International Video Festival Of Kerala,2008 THE HINDU DAILY SAYS Quiet flows the Nila BHAWANI CHEERATH Documentary ‘Puzhoyozhukum Vazhikal’ reflects on the past glory and present state of the Nila. Wake-up call: ‘Puzhoyozhukum Vazhikal.’ Recall your early history classes about riparian culture? The story of the river is the story of civilization too. But look at rivers and its banks today. If you have your ears to the ground the message is clear: man is wreaking havoc on himself by killing the river. That in a nutshell is what the documentary ‘Puzhoyozhukum Vazhikal’ a 50-hour documentary on the Nila reflects on. Journey with the river What made Sajith Anchal, the man behind this documentary, journey with the river? “An earlier project on Koothambalams was a revelation of sorts for me. The realisation that the course of the river also mapped the cultural and political growth of our people made me take up the task of chronicling the imprint of Malayalee culture that grew on the banks of the Nila,” says the filmmaker. Nila does not follow a straight and narrow route; in its course from Ottappalam to Ponnani, it curves and bends every few kilometers, irrigating more stretches of parched earth than it would otherwise have. The two banks of the river have been veritable repositories of fine arts and culture, awakening and enlightenment. The film shows that the banks have been the centres of learning, home to great men, like Ezhuthachan and witness to the Mamankkam. Political history too was etched here with the Malabar Kalapam, Congress Sammelan and important meets of the Communist party being held here. Interspersing the documentary with verses by ONV Kurup and Ayyappa Panikker and sopana sangeetham, the soliloquy of the Nila is arresting. Strains of sopanam rendered by Njeralath Harigovindan and the impassioned narration intoned by Nedumudi Venu have contributed greatly in creating the mood for the film. But the film does not just gloat on the past glory. It takes you through contemporary issues of damming the flow, sand mining, and silting. Unmindful of the atrocities by man, the film tells us, quiet flows the Nila.