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Tuesday 24 October 2017

An Informal Resumé of Rahat Yusufi

RESUME  :  RAHAT. YUSUFI
Born 18th. Nov. 1946 I'm almost a 'Midnight’s Child' .. the only issue of a father, an academic and an educationist, and mother a homemaker. This nuclear family, in a good job, decided to remain in India during partition while most of our extended family from either parent's side  migrated to Pakistan.
For being scrupulously corruption free, my father was rewarded with transfer orders in quick tempo by the Provincial Government, as a result my schooling was discontinuous and I ended up a lone shark hosteller in single seated rooms. Quietly happy by myself, perceived by others as  loner, my life, ever since, is patterned in a series of 'departures’.
I did as I was told until my graduation as Science student and then made my first departure by shifting to the Arts side, so called; received my Master’s degree in Literature and shifted to Cinema Studies. Breezing into a Central Govt. Class I job as  documentary filmmaker, posted at New Delhi and then at Bombay, married with one daughter in hand and the other gestating, I shifted to voluntary work with friends in ¾” video doing community conscientization. Our NGO was headquartered at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel at Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, and project area 80Kms into UP called Sultanpur/Chilkana.
By now both our daughters were growing up and demanding all our attention, and I shifted to FTII Pune as Professor & Head; Dept. Of Film Direction & Screenwriting. Just a few years on we moved to Bangalore as independent filmmakers and soon after I received my two National Awards.
I have, incidentally, several other international awards but for work that I did for 'others’. My second film at Film Institute was awarded as was my Diploma Film; these, and the ones I made as an independent filmmaker are really the only films that I can call, “my own”. I made 'vernacular’ films, in a number of linguistic & eco-regions with  stories developed by the specific community, used  local, non professionals as cast and worked on live locations with sync sound in 16mm or Betacam. My subject matter  would be Women, Children and the Environment, all 'mute’ and in dire need for progressive advocacy.
Meanwhile, our daughters needed educating and since we weren't into 9 to 4, we decided on Homeschool. This soon developed into a modern Gurukul like “Centre for Learning” where the triad of child/teacher/parent were equally staked. My elder daughter works at CFL on the outskirts of Bangalore, and  younger is an Arts Teacher at the Bangalore International School, arts section called “Srishti”.
I continue to be deeply involved & active in education, in Cinema Art Practice, enjoying featherweight digital equipment & touch screens of Cybernetic studios … a lone Wolf, catalysing  Community Communication and Conscientization.
Best regards
Rahat