Interactive Workshops with Students: Visual History
Theme: Love, Romance and the Family
15th – 18th December 1997
Relationships within the family and romantic relationships outside have been major themes around which the popular cinema has been constructed. Films like Anarkali and Devdas have become film metaphors for tragic love and love destroyed by the family and the society. Young people today see many popular films which are variations of the same themes of family, love and romance but the stress of the education system does not allow them to look at them critically or understand the values and concepts espoused in the films. SPARROW felt it would be a good idea to hold a film viewing workshop where young people can see old and new films leisurely and discuss what these films contain and how they view relationships and where they place women in the family and in society. Alpana Parikh, a journalist, and Professor Prabodh Parikh initiated and moderated the discussion for the High School and college students.

Interactive Workshops with Students: Visual History
Theme: Images, Lyrics and Song Picturisation
19 – 22 December, 1998.
Songs form a major part of Indian Films. Popular cinema is structured around religious songs, lullabies, songs on family relationships, philosophical songs, tragic songs on various situations of life and love songs. These songs have become very much a part of our daily life. Hindi cinema has existed for many years now and over the years the song situations, the locations, the lyrics, the tune and the pace and presentation of the songs have changed. The way a song looks at objects, places and people, specially women, has undergone a lot of changes. This film-viewing workshop was organized to perceive these changes and understand them for what they are. Young people normally see films for entertainment and do not have the time to view them from a historical perspective. This workshop provided them an opportunity to see and listen to Hindi film songs from the Black and White era to the present times in ways in which they normally are not able to do. Film-makers Madan Bawaria and Vishnu Mathur initiated the discussion with High School and college students.
