Dindigul
Diaries
Dindigul Diaries is a documentary that begins in 2001 and ends in 2024. It is about four women living in the Dindigul region of Southern India.
Each day the four women in Dindigul Diaries face long hours of daily work as farm hands, construction laborers, handloom and textile workers, small business owners. They are responsible for taking care of children, meal preparation, retrieval of water and other household work. As with women everywhere, the double burden of household responsibilities and income-generating work takes a toll.
Dindigul is located in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Surrounded by the Sirumalai and Palani hills, the Dindigul district is made up of hundreds of small villages and the bustling town of Dindigul, world renowned for its iron locks. The region suffers from severe drought. It is known for coffee, mini-bananas and flowers. It is also a center for the handloom and leather industries.
The region, like many parts of India is deeply religious with an abiding mythology that pervades all aspects of life. It is made up of Hindus, Muslims and Christians, living side-by-side.
DINDIGUL DIARIES TRAILER
Director's Statement
This has been a long journey.
I began these diaries in 2001-2002 while a Fulbright Scholar in the Dindigul District of Southern India. The footage shot in 2001-2002 was part of The Never-Ending Path, a 40-minute documentary distributed and in permanent collections of educational institutions worldwide.
In 2016-2018 I received a second Fulbright Scholarship to return to the region and follow up with the same families and villages.
Dindigul Diaries is about the dignity of labor and the resilience of working women. It addresses human rights topics of girls education, dowry and cultural expectations of females around the world.