Water Burial, a Film Inspired By YD Thongchi’s Novel Bags National Film Award

New Delhi: ‘Water Burial’, a film based on Monpa Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, has won the Best Film National Award in the environment conservation category at the 67th National Films Award, 2021. Directed by filmmaker Shantanu Sen, the film is inspired by the Assamese novel ‘Saba Kota Manuh’ written by Sahitya Akademi award winner writer Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi from Arunachal Pradesh.

The award was announced on the occasion of World Environment Day. 

The film has been appreciated for its intriguing story, depicting the rituals of the Monpa Tribes after death.

The film has been produced by Sanjiv Narain under the banner AM Television and co-produced by Faruque Iftikar.

The Monpa Tribe mostly found in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh have six sub-groups of which some follow the practice of water burial during the funeral of a person. In this ritual, the body is cut into 104 pieces and is thrown into the river so that fishes could eat them. The tribe believes that a lifeless body should be of some use to small creatures.