Pradip Krishen
Encyclopedia
Pradip Krishen, is an India
n filmmaker and environmentalist
. He directed three ground breaking film, namely, Massey Sahib in 1985, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones
in 1989 and Electric Moon
for Channel 4
, UK in 1991. His films have won significant Indian and international award, and In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones
acquired cult status in the years after it was made.
He subsequently gave up filmmaking, and since 1995, has worked as a naturalist
and environmentalist
.
, place of birth and parents name not known, he started his career as a lecturer in History at Delhi University, before becoming a documentary filmmaker (he made popular science documentaries). After Massey Sahib he began work on a 21 episode television series intended for Doordarshan
called Bargad/ The Banyan Tree, a project he was forced to abandon before completion, due to interference from the production house he was working for. Electric Moon
was his last foray into filmmaking.
Starting in 1995, he began started studying trees and spending time in the jungles of Panchmarhi in Madhya Pradesh, with the help of a forester friend. He taught himself field botany and began identifying and photographing Delhi's trees, extensively exploring the city's green habitat. In the course of his work, he led numerous public "tree-walks" on Sunday mornings and became a keen ecological gardener. He has created "native-plant" gardens in Delhi, west Rajasthan, and Garhwal, and is currently working on two projects - a large planting scheme around a fort in Jodhpur
, Rajasthan, and a multifaceted eco-initiative in the Sunder Nursery in New Delhi.
His book Trees of Delhi: A Field Guide, published by Dorling Kindersley
/Penguin Group
in 2006, met with popular and critical acclaim, and became a bestseller in India
.
. He has two daughters, Pia Krishen and Mithva Krishen from an earlier marriage.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n filmmaker and environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
. He directed three ground breaking film, namely, Massey Sahib in 1985, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones
In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones
In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones is a 1989 Indian TV film. Screenplay by Arundhati Roy , directed by Pradip Krishen, and starring Arjun Raina as the title character, along with Roshan Seth and Shahrukh Khan...
in 1989 and Electric Moon
Electric Moon
Electric Moon is a 1992 Indian film directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy. The film was produced by Grapevine Media for Channel 4 Television and Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment and was reviewed at the International Film Festival of India and the 36th London Film Festival...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, UK in 1991. His films have won significant Indian and international award, and In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones
In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones
In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones is a 1989 Indian TV film. Screenplay by Arundhati Roy , directed by Pradip Krishen, and starring Arjun Raina as the title character, along with Roshan Seth and Shahrukh Khan...
acquired cult status in the years after it was made.
He subsequently gave up filmmaking, and since 1995, has worked as a naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
.
Biography
Born in 1949, in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, place of birth and parents name not known, he started his career as a lecturer in History at Delhi University, before becoming a documentary filmmaker (he made popular science documentaries). After Massey Sahib he began work on a 21 episode television series intended for Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
called Bargad/ The Banyan Tree, a project he was forced to abandon before completion, due to interference from the production house he was working for. Electric Moon
Electric Moon
Electric Moon is a 1992 Indian film directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy. The film was produced by Grapevine Media for Channel 4 Television and Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment and was reviewed at the International Film Festival of India and the 36th London Film Festival...
was his last foray into filmmaking.
Starting in 1995, he began started studying trees and spending time in the jungles of Panchmarhi in Madhya Pradesh, with the help of a forester friend. He taught himself field botany and began identifying and photographing Delhi's trees, extensively exploring the city's green habitat. In the course of his work, he led numerous public "tree-walks" on Sunday mornings and became a keen ecological gardener. He has created "native-plant" gardens in Delhi, west Rajasthan, and Garhwal, and is currently working on two projects - a large planting scheme around a fort in Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, Rajasthan, and a multifaceted eco-initiative in the Sunder Nursery in New Delhi.
His book Trees of Delhi: A Field Guide, published by Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley is an international publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 51 languages. It is currently part of the Penguin Group....
/Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
in 2006, met with popular and critical acclaim, and became a bestseller in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Personal life
Pradip Krishen is married to the Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati RoyArundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
. He has two daughters, Pia Krishen and Mithva Krishen from an earlier marriage.
Works
- Trees of Delhi: A Field Guide, by Pradip Krishen. Published by Dorling Kindersley (India), 2006. ISBN 0144000709.