Team members: Anand Rama Krishnan, Al Badush, Rajeswari B.T., Safair Ali Jereesh, Arifa Beegum, Irfan Mubarak, Rohan Arthur, and Suri Venkatachalam
Alumni: Kevin B. George, Somesh S. Menon
Timeline: 2023 - present
Ways of Life is a documentary series created by the Nature Conservation Foundation to honour and document the unseen, uncelebrated everyday life of the people of Lakshadweep. The series is rooted in the belief that the identity of Lakshadweep is not limited to its blue lagoons and postcard beaches, but lives in the wisdom, resilience, and simplicity of its people. It is being made for the people of Lakshadweep, so that their stories, their ways of living, and their relationship with nature are recorded and carried forward with pride.
Lakshadweep exists in a unique island condition where life has been shaped by complete geographical isolation from the mainland. Land is limited, resources are scarce, every coconut tree matters, every fish in the lagoon matters, and every tide has a meaning. In this isolation, generations of islanders carved out a life that intertwined with island nature, rooted in the understanding that “enough is a feast.” They have lived without excess, without exploitation, and with an extraordinary ability to share what little they had. This island way of life is not accidental; it is a culture shaped by nature, faith, and necessity. It is this resilient philosophy of living within limits, and still finding abundance in community and nature, that Ways of Life seeks to document.
So far, we have three films in this series. The first film, Choora, takes us into a fisherman’s day at sea. It shows how pole-and-line tuna fishing works, how baitfish are caught, and how traditional knowledge about seasons, moon, currents, and baitfish life cycles has been passed down from elders to youth. Choora is not just a film about fishing, but about heritage, identity, and the humble skill that has sustained island life for generations. After releasing Choora, we will be screening it across all the islands of Lakshadweep. The love, recognition, and pride we received from our own people encouraged us to continue this journey. Choora is now available on YouTube, and it has helped people outside Lakshadweep also appreciate the knowledge and dignity of our fishing culture.
The second film, titled Onnam Fira, which means “the first crescent of the lunar cycle.” This film takes viewers into the holy month of Ramzan in Lakshadweep, where life becomes beautifully nocturnal and where faith, nature, and community merge into one rhythm. Onnam Fira explores how daily routines shift during this sacred month, how homes, streets, and hearts light up at night; how fishermen change their strategies to support night fishing; how time flows differently; and how spirituality and nature come together in everyday actions. In Lakshadweep, Ramzan is not only a religious period; it is a profound cultural moment where the islands breathe differently, move differently, and find strength in togetherness.
The film reflects two central themes. The first is how people remodel their lives according to their faith, how devotion shapes discipline, generosity, humility, and a sense of purpose. The second is how the community lives gracefully within limited resources during this time, sharing food, time, and care. There is a quiet lesson in this way of living that happiness and peace do not come from abundance, but from gratitude, unity, and simplicity. Through this film, we wish to show how even in limitation, we live richly, and how the community holds each other like the sea holds the islands.
The third film, ‘Billam’, delves into the rich natural history knowledge embedded in these practices, such as understanding seasonality, fish behaviour, tidal patterns, and lunar cycles, and highlights how such knowledge is often passed down through intergenerational learning. In doing so, everyday ecological practices are closely tied to identity, sustenance, and cultural continuity.