All photographs/ posters copyrights belongs to Film Heritage Foundation or their respective owners.

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I have often underestimated Bhubaneswar.

And this time, too, no wonder I was doing the same.

I was feeling lost and confused, questioning myself, What do I do here? Lying on my bed, I would spend hours reminiscing about my London memories, scrolling through Instagram stories of my UK friends going to galleries and museums.

In that endless swipe of stories, one night I came across an Instagram story by Ishani Das, a brilliant photographer I follow on Insta. She had shared an absolutely stunning illustrative poster of a woman in a saree. Believe me when I say this, it was absofuckinglutely gorgeous. It was a film archive-related thingy, but more importantly, the venue was "Bhubaneswar". It took me some time to process whether this was happening in Bhubaneswar.

Is this really happening in Bhubaneswar?" I wondered.

I checked their official pages and saw the posts about this workshop. Yes! It was really happening in Bhubaneswar. The venue was "Kalabhoomi", which is literally a 15-minute drive from my place. I did my deep research immediately. I found that highly experienced individuals from the British Film Institute (BFI) in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET Museum) in New York were coming to teach in the workshop. There were also people from The Criterion Collection.

I was literally swooning over the guest list! I thought, 'Who is bringing them to Bhubaneswar?' Is the Bhubaneswar audience ready for this? Later, I realised this was actually the 10th edition of the workshop, which has been happening across India since 2015. I had no clue something this big had landed in Bhubaneswar.

I checked the dates. It was about to start from 12th November, literally in three days! Of course, my interest had already piqued, but the timeline made me give up for a moment.

I read more about it to understand what this workshop was precisely about. I noticed that the Film Heritage Foundation was organising it in partnership with the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), which I learnt is the global body for film archives. Apparently, this entire workshop is the only one of its kind in this region. I was pleasantly surprised to see this happening just a few miles away from my home.

The collaborators' list blew my mind! Names such as the British Film Institute, The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, L'Immagine Ritrovata, The Met Museum in New York, INA France, Cinemateca Portuguesa, and The Criterion Collection were all involved. No wonder the faculty list was so wild.

I couldn't have wasted a minute.

I reviewed the application process and completed a form that I downloaded from the website. As I reached the end of the form, I realised that the deadline was long gone. Additionally, the workshop fees were Rs 50,000, which was a substantial amount for me.

This was the time for me to give up or find a way to get access. I decided to give it a try. I wrote emails to the Film Heritage Foundation, FIAF, and to the official email address of the Handlooms and Textiles department, expecting a response from Mrs Poonam Guha, IAS. Sadly, all my efforts were futile. The next day, I woke up without any response. I didn't do anything for a day. But the next day, I thought of giving it one more try.

I reached out to my friends who are active in the cultural sector. Sumitra Parhi, a friend of mine who is super active in the artistic scene in Odisha, mentioned a girl named Megha, who apparently was one of the lead coordinators. Another friend, Twinkle, who is super resourceful, shared Megha's number via her personal contacts.

Out of the blue, she suggested that I reach out to Raj Sampad, whose uncle's movie 'Maya Miriga' was being screened. Raj is a very close friend, and I was sure he could help! I dropped a message to Raj. Amidst his busy shoot schedule, he put forward the word to Sandeep Mohapatra, son of Late Nirad Mohapatra ji. Sandeep ji had a direct conversation with Shivendra Dungarpur ji, the founder-director of the Film Heritage Foundation. Even after his request, Shivendra ji had to deny it due to the timeline. They had already finalised the student list. It was a long process approved by many other bodies. After Raj sent me a message with a 'sorry', I was really disheartened. I decided to skip it this time and apply for the workshop the following year.

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This is the point I usually give up. But this time I decided not to.

Over the last few years, one thing I have learnt is to clearly ask for what I want, fearlessly and with clear articulation. And not to take rejections personally that come thereafter.

As Cheryl Mukherji, in one of her amazing workshops on grant writing, told us to ask with ultimate clarity what we want. She added, "Tell yourself, when someone rejects you, that if you are not going to give it to me, someone else will." Her words gave me an immense amount of confidence. In a split second, she transformed the way I see the world. That moment itself was worth the entire workshop with Cheryl.

I gathered the courage to restructure my email, and instead of the request for admission into the workshop as a student, I asked if I could be a "Research and Content Volunteer". I dropped it in Megha's WhatsApp, adding that I am Sandeep Mohapatra ji's family friend.

Much to my surprise, she immediately responded. She asked me to come to meet her in Kalabhoomi. I booked an Uber immediately and went to Kalabhoomi within minutes. I met Megha. She introduced me to a man sitting in the corridor with a simple formal outfit, 'He is a family friend of Sandeep ji, son of Maya Miriga's director Nirad ji'. Later, I discovered that the man I had just been introduced to was Mr Dinesh, who apparently handles all financial matters at this foundation.

I could finally see what was actually working.

Was it borderline nepotism? Or just a strong network and my relentless pursuit. Irkkk, Nepo sounds so meh. Let's reserve the word for Bollywood. XD

Megha added, 'He is here to volunteer. ' For a moment, I was like, wait a minute. "I am not here to volunteer. I came for the classes!" I shouted out loud inside my head. I gulped the loud thoughts and smiled. I could have taken some brilliant photos and written a beautifully reflective article (which I am doing now anyway), but being a volunteer was not on my list! In fact, it hurt me a bit when I first heard the word 'volunteer,' as if someone had punched my ego hard. At this point in my life, I would rather conduct a workshop or programme a design festival. I realise now how safe I am playing when I have all the means to go wild and take bolder steps.

Once upon a time, I was the Festival Director of Roots, one of the most successful festivals of my college. I needed a grounding. I gulped it and started working immediately. I went to the other room, helped a white man unpack the boxes, and carried the empty boxes around. There was another girl who came into the room and asked me twice to move the empty cardboard boxes to the other room. I couldn't process it at first. Aren't there other staff to do this job? But I realised she was expecting me to do it. So I did it. However, it took me some time to process the instruction and actually complete the work.

At this point, I knew I had to make the best out of the situation.

I started having a conversation with that white guy. "Hey, I am Manuel", he introduced himself. We discussed his work, his company, and the machines he had acquired from Berlin. I told him about my crazy London stories. I am glad that I lived in the heart of London for a significant period in my youth, which helped me overcome the colonial hangover. It helped me not to "look up to" the white people just for their skin colour.

As expected, he was in awe! He asked me more about my days in London, and we had a lovely conversation. I realise London is my unfair superpower now. When I meet any white person, we talk about London, and it immediately makes them feel at home. I share precise details of my RCA days and my graduate research project, which often intrigue people from a different background.

The next day, the workshop started, and I was in.

This is all I wanted. Access!

I was sure that I could manage everything else once I was in. And of course, I never craved those certificates.

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12th November, 2025.

The workshop started. I helped set up the technical stuff in the conference room. Megha was smart enough to notice it. She asked me what I do. I was even confused about how to introduce myself.

Filmmaker? Artist? Exhibition Designer? Photographer? Engineer? Designer?

Oh, goodness, I am sure I'm confusing everyone. Perhaps the recruiters as well. At least NID, RCA and Apple weren't confused and were smart enough to offer me the best things in my life, from scholarships to admission offers, I couldn't have asked for more.

I deliberately started helping more with tech troubleshooting. My intention was clear. I wanted to be physically present in the classroom. So, I grabbed all the work related to sound, mic checks, projections, Zoom calls, etc., which inevitably made me be around the faculty. I would stand beside the faculty in every single lecture, attentively listening to everything they said. Perhaps, more attentively than the last benchers in the workshop. I scheduled my own schedule to attend the lectures, ensuring I cover every single class by the end of the workshop. Heard the story of Eklavya and Dronacharya?

The workshop began with a keynote by David Walsh, which I was unable to follow closely. I am sure he discussed some relevant aspects of film preservation. I later saw on the website that the curriculum covers everything from analogue film repair to digital restoration, cataloguing, paper and photograph conservation, and even programming, so I'm sure his talk was connected to all of this.

In a few days, I could recognise a Super eight film, a 16mm film, and a 35mm film, along with the details of the soundtracks on them. I can now understand analogue film on a different level. I helped set up the Zoom call for Etienne Marchand and attended his lecture. I was super chill there, casually moving around and fiddling with my phone at times, which the organisers pointed out, in fact, and asked me to maintain decorum. They also clarified that they don't want me to take photos and post them anywhere. It was a bit awkward (and uneasy tbh) for me to listen to this. Why would someone ask me not to take photos when the most prominent organisations, including BFI London, have paid me to document their high-profile events? However, I was onboarded as a volunteer, so I decided to remain silent and focus on learning.

Towards the end of the day, there was the Opening ceremony. The Chief Minister, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, was there along with legends like Waheeda Rahman ji! I met Sandeep bhai, Sampad uncle, and many more people. In fact, I met Bhargav Mishra, whose family relative, Ghanshyam Mahapatra, is one of the prominent Odia filmmakers whose film, "Kanaklata," was being screened.

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Okay, let's not go into this amount of detail. This is not a newspaper article!

Let me share the names of the faculty members and people I personally connected with and had a good time with.

Let's start with Pravin Sisodia ji, with whom I connected since day one. This man has been with FHF and Shivendra Dungarpurji for 17 long years! That's something! It was a great pleasure to have casual conversations with him, where he would share stories from the archives of the grand weddings of royal families that FHF has preserved. His profound understanding of analogue films is phenomenal. It only comes with years of dedicated practice.

It was lovely to meet Joanna White from the British Film Institute, with whom I had numerous conversations about London, Lincoln, and her journey from being a documentary photographer to writing code at the BFI. I loved her workshop on Open Source. The number of times she talked about FFMPEG literally made me feel like I was missing out on an excellent open-source tool for video. I will dive deeper into it soon. It must be a super helpful tool.

In the following days, I connected with many others, including Etienne Merchand, Robin Baker, Dr Elena Nepoti, Dr Nora Kennedy, etc. One of my favourite lectures was Robin Baker's session on 'Film Programming'. He has been the Head Curator of the BFI National Archives and has extensively explored India's film history. Here's one of his articles on old Indian films on the BFI website. The session made me think of new ways to program a film festival, including identifying loopholes, exploring funding strategies, and developing interactive experiences. The final presentations by the student groups were also excellent. Some questions from the audience were so profound and reflective that it felt like the Q&A was the main character in the film.

I still remember Sanjoy Patnaik's response about the life risk involved in being an activist as they were discussing his film on mining. It made me think about the choices we make, whether to be an artist or an activist, and the circumstances that dictate them. Sanjoy has, in fact, written a book on Odia cinema, and it's perhaps the first book ever written entirely in English based on the film heritage of Odisha. The book is titled "Of Reels, Romance, and Retakes: Social Narratives of Cinema in Odisha." If you are an NRI/ Odia or someone interested in Odia cinema in general, and can read English, this is a must-read. You can purchase the book using this direct link. I am super keen to read the book soon.

Sanjoy Patnaik ji was honoured with the 'Champion Of Film Heritage Award' for preserving Odia cinema's legacy. Check out this interview with Sanjoy, where he discusses his journey and the world of Odia Cinema. We had a good chat about his time in London and her wife's PhD in London. Later, we exchanged numbers. I am sure I would get back to him for guidance on my sociological research work.

Two of my abstracts have been selected for the largest sociology conference in the UK, the BSA Annual Conference 2026, which is scheduled to take place in April 2026. I plan to attend and present my work. Can anyone please sponsor my travel? Or at least buy me some film rolls to shoot some lovely photos on my trip to this excellent sociology conference.

I absolutely loved the practical session by Dr Nora Kennedy from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where she talked about preventive conservation for photographs. She showed us photos from recent days, dating back to the 1800s, when photography was a complicated chemical process, known as the daguerreotype. It was an eye-opening moment for me to witness the evolution of photography, including the changes in colour, materials, and the deterioration that occurs over time. I loved the exercise where she asked us to group a vast collection of photos decade-wise.

I used to do a very similar exercise with my photos in London, where I would lay all the images flat and ask people to share their thoughts about them. It was my first deep dive into "Phototherapy", which I came across while reading a book named "Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography in a Digital Age" by Prof. Del Loewenthal, a renowned psychotherapist from England. If the idea of exploring therapy using the photographic medium interests you, then you should definitely read this book. You can buy this book here.

During the Q&A session midway through the workshop, I learned that the gelatin used on the surface of a photo print is derived from animal products, primarily beef. It was honestly unsettling for me, considering I am a vegetarian. I wish there was a display of vintage cameras on the table, in which those photos were captured. That would have been fun.

Manuel's class, where he demonstrated techniques for scanning films, was brilliant. I had never seen those giant machines. We learned how to load a specific gate, a film, and then bring it to sharp focus using the software tools, and then scan it in high-resolution raw image files. The machines were from Korn Manufaktur (https://korn-manufaktur.de/). The sound it made while scanning the films was pleasing to the ear.

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In between all of this, I had the opportunity to interact with Waheeda Rahman ji personally. We talked about the evolution of films from the real reels to the reels (the shitty Instagram ones). I shared about the ease of filming with DSLRs these days, but also told her how much I love the look and feel of analogue films.

I couldn't discuss her films with her in depth since I hadn't watched many of them. I had listened to some of her songs, though - 'Piya tose naina lage', 'Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hey', and a few more songs, maybe. Since my childhood, I have been restricted from watching films. It was only during my NIT days that I gained access to some fantastic movies and TV series, which piqued my interest in the visual arts in general.

Anyway, she is a legend, and there is an entire era of film buffs who would die to have a photograph with her. Usually, I am not someone who would ask for selfies, but this time I let go of that ego and humbly asked her if I could have a photo with her. I gave the camera to the person sitting beside me, and he captured a picture with my iPhone. Of course, I looked like a dumb, and she was sitting beside me with a gorgeous posture.

What an absolutely precious photograph to keep!  

As this photo session was underway, Shivendra ji entered the room and asked me to go and help with sorting out a display connection. For a moment, I felt like I was a bit scared and rushed towards the room. Perhaps it was because the people of the organisation looked up to him as "Sir", a hierarchy of sorts. I am sure he is not as scary! I haven't worked with him, so I may not be the right person to speak about it. I had a brief conversation with him, and it was a sweet exchange.

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Coming to the film screenings during the workshop, the first film screening on 13th November was beautiful. 'Maya Miriga' by the late Nirad Mohapatra ji was screened.

It was such a pleasure to meet the Mohapatra family. The film touched me. It will stay with me for a long time. I wouldn't spoil the movie for you here. However, if you come from a middle-class Odia family, you will resonate with the film on many levels. The idea of economic migration and the complexities of sibling relationships are beautifully portrayed. The ending is heartwrenchingly beautiful. I could see myself in the character Tutu. It made me reflect on my own journey and where it's leading me.

Later, I watched Meghe Dhaka Tara by Ritwik Ghatak. It was my first time watching a Ghatak film. During my NID days, one of my professors, Hitesh Chaurasia, would often share a lot about Ritwik Ghatak. I never got into a headspace to watch a ghatak film, though. Finally, I got a chance to watch a movie on the big screen. So, I made sure to go for it. It was gorgeous! The acting was so good. The cinematography was beautiful. The film portrayed the relationship between siblings very beautifully.

I also watched another film screening with my wife and my friend. It was an English film, A History of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg. The acting was insane! I enjoyed it to the fullest.

Oh, by the way, the screenings were happening in a very old, yet renowned theatre in Bhubaneswar called "Keshari". It was so comfy, in fact, way better than my expectations. The momos outside the cinema hall were yum! We had some veg steamed momos and some fries called "Nali", which were very fluffy and crispy.

Towards the end of the workshops, I realised I had missed a few crucial sessions that I really wanted to attend. So, I asked Moor, one of the organising leads, if I could attend some specific workshops instead of being in the conference room. She was kind enough to allow me.

I attended the archives acquisitions workshop by Dylan Cave and Priyanka. It was excellent. I learnt a lot about the ethics of acquisitions. They also shared many of their experiences about being proactive in the process. I learnt the ways to negotiate with a donor and the legalities involved. The best part was understanding the ways to navigate the ethics of found materials in public markets (flea market) like "Chor Baazar" of Mumbai, etc. Moor's (Murchana Borah) lecture on cataloguing was also quite informative. I loved the exercises she shared in class regarding the identification of metadata.

There was also a roundtable led by Lee Kline, the technical director at 'The Criterion Collection'. During the session, a healthy debate ensued about the restoration process, its complexities, and best practices in preservation and restoration. He showed a fantastic video in the panel, which was stunning! I don't have the link to that video, though. Lee, if you are reading this, please share the link! Until then, readers of this article can watch a video featuring Lee and Ryan as they discuss their process.

I had such a lovely time with Lee in Konark. I showed him around and shared stories of the sculptural elements on the temple walls. Lee was extremely fascinated to learn that my wedding ceremony was in Konark. I showed him some photos captured by the amazing Blur Stories. He even told me he would love to attend an Indian wedding and asked me to invite him if I get married again. I chuckled and said to him that I would, for sure, call him when I get married again to my wife.

Additionally, I would like to share some information about the hospitality provided by FHF and the Odisha Government. This is the first time I have seen a so-called "workshop" of such luxury and meticulous planning. I would rather call it an "experience" and not just a workshop. From high tea and dinner in the most lavish hotels of Odisha, including Mayfair and The Taj, to group outings to Konark, I can only imagine what the experience would have been like for those visiting Odisha for the first time. I had some lovely conversations with Kyoko from Japan, whose outfits caught my attention from day one. Her outfits were so gorgeous! We exchanged our Instagram handles. Her DP has a red kettle in it, which caught my attention. She shared her love for Yasujirō Ozu's films, which usually feature a red kettle in most frames. I haven't watched his movies yet, but I will definitely watch one soon. Here's a book on Ozu's films you might like!

The dinner at Taj was a lovely experience, accompanied by beautiful traditional Indian music by the beach. I had some lovely Thai food and baked rasgullas along with a few glasses of Merlot and white wine. A recipe called "Chatu Patrapada" was delicious. Imagine mushrooms wrapped in banana leaves, then stir-fried with mustard paste and Indian spices. Gosh, that was so yummy, I had to go to the stall three times and grab a piece each time, smiling at them and telling the waiter how delicious it was.

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19th November, 2025.

On the last day, an MoU was signed, which states that Odisha will establish its first Film Archive soon. I was so elated to hear this. I would love to be a part of this initiative.

I never expected such a high-quality programme in Bhubaneswar and that too in Kalabhoomi! I had visited this venue earlier, but only as a visitor to see the museum spaces within it. This week, I spent enough time to become familiar with the venue inside and out. If you haven't visited Kalabhoomi, be sure to make some time for it on your next visit to Odisha. Seeing it transform into an international educational hub in no time was inspiring.

I am eager to design and develop a programme around art, culture, photography, films and exhibitions. I don't have significant political connections in my state, but I hope my education, curiosity, and enthusiasm will be enough.

I would love to conduct a phototherapy workshop soon. It would help many people reconcile with the grief they carry by having conversations with the people they have loved and lost through photographs. I worked on phototherapy and psychology during my master's at the Royal College of Art in London. You can find the project documentation on the RCA official website.

If you have read this far, I am sure you are one of those rare gems who take the time to slow down and read in the era of reels. Thank you so much. I would love to know your thoughts on films, archives, Odisha, education, workshops, culture, and art. Feel free to drop a word of appreciation if you loved reading this and found it helpful and informative. You can reach me via my email address, hello@abodid.com, or send a WhatsApp message to +919439094370.

I am keen to undertake film programming and exhibition design projects, as well as research and documentation related to these areas. Check out one of the craziest exhibitions I had helped to build up and document in London.

Everything I have shared in this piece of writing is entirely personal and in no way reflects the opinion of any organisation/ person, or the Film Heritage Foundation. Some errors may have inadvertently crept in. Apologies for that. To reiterate, all photographs/ posters/ videos copyrights belong to Film Heritage Foundation or their respective owners.

Thank you so much,

With love,

Abodid

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