Short-film captures life of Nilgiris postman who walks 15km a day

While talking to the station master, they saw a man coming out of the jungle, clad in a red shirt with a bag full of letters. The man was D Sivan, who trekked from the Hillgrove Post Office delivering letters and pensions for plantation workers and villagers who live in nearby areas. The trio found his life interesting and made a short film titled Thabalkaran. 

“This is a tribute to Sivan anna, who walked through forests and terrains that vehicles cannot traverse at least 15km every day for more than a decade to deliver posts to a nearby village. After we decided to make a film in 2018, we went and met him in Coonoor - he was more than happy to be part of the project. Though we finished shooting the same year, we were able to release the film only on July 19, 2020,” says Arjun Krishna.

 In Thabalkaran, the makers have captured a day in the life of Sivan. He was working as a stamp collector for 25 years and the past 10 years, Sivan worked as a postman at Hillgrove Post Office near Coonoor. Not only his work life but the film also beautifully portrays Sivan’s spiritual side.

 “During the later stage in his career, he wanted to serve society and chose to become a postman in a remote village. Daily, he walked through the forest to deliver mail in inaccessible areas in Coonoor. Sivan anna is someone who loves the forest and knows it inside out. While walking through the forest, he chants

 Gayatri Mantra and also meditates in his favourite spot. He is one of the happiest people whom we have ever met,” he adds.

 Though the film was ready in 2018, the trio couldn’t release it then. Last month, Supriya Sahu, an IAS officer, shared a post on Twitter commemorating Sivan’s work and retirement. “The post and his story went viral people came to know the life of Sivan anna. We thought if we could release the film now, it will help viewers to visualise his life and understand it better,” Arjun remarks.

 He recollects that the entire shoot was a challenging one. “There is a speed in which Sivan anna walks and we have to match his speed every time with all the shooting equipment. During the shoot, he shared experiences like how he was chased by wild elephants, bears, guard, etc. He said that the forest has a rhythm and we have to move accordingly,” reminisces Arjun.

The film that was released on Sunday received a huge response. “The sound mix is partly done in binaural by Siddharth Sadashiv, which would make the viewer feel like they are actually in that environment and will be experiencing a 360degree soundscape,” he sums up.