Sawaari | Award-winning documentary on Cycle Rickshaw walas of Chennai

Till my primary, I went to school in a cycle rickshaw. Murugan was my rickshaw Anna, short, and slim and his hair was super curly which intrigued me a lot. I enjoyed my conversations with him, we mostly spoke about Deepavali and crackers. I used to ask him “ Anna, unga area la enna vechanga ?” And he would answer me with patience and a smile on his face. I loved my cycle rickshaw rides from school because it gave me some time to relax before I went home and began my homework. Back then it never hit me that a human had to physically put a lot of effort to make the vehicle move forward. Now that I realize all of it, my respect for them skyrocketed, for any kind of physical labor. To be honest, I didn’t think of this topic until all of our lives hit a pause while covid happened. Because life just kept happening, covid gave me a chance to ponder upon my childhood which led me to think of cycle rickshaws. I hadn’t seen many cycle rickshaws on the roads, which led me to dig more into this. It concluded with the fact that they were soon to be extinct. I am not saying evolution or inventions are a bad thing, that is a part of life in every aspect that exists. But to see something you experience disappears sinks my heart, like an anchor that tries to hit a bottomless ocean. Their plight, existence, and survival are what I have tried to document. I hope I have conveyed it as much as it is meant to me. It is sadder and heartbreaking than I thought it would be. I hope their tales are told till the end of time. Evolution doesn’t seem to be a boon for all. Please watch it and let us know how you like it. Don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. Your love and support will mean a lot to us. -Ashwin Guru Direction & editing - Ashwin guru https://instagram.com/ashwin_guru17?i... Cinematography - Alexander vedachalam https://instagram.com/alexandervedach... Voice over - Anita kamaraj https://instagram.com/anitakamaraj?ig... Special Thanks to - Karan Karki | Thirupurasundari sevvel | Sriram venkat #documentary #sawaari #cyclerickshaw