Raghav Juyal makes a docu-series to get attention for onground issues in Uttarakhand

Since the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Raghav Juyal and his team have been working tirelessly helping people in his state Uttarakhand. The actor-dancer worked on ground in the interiors helping people with medicine and hospital facilities. Whilst this, they observed that there were many things which needed to be highlighted and enough attention from the government. So the team recorded and documented, later edited it into a docu-series explaining the reality of the on ground situation in the state vis-a-vis health care.

Talking about the need to make a documentary, Juyal says. “All of us were working since past few months in Uttarakhand with health workers, so when we realised there were things in the health infrastructure that needed to be brought to attention, we worked on it. We wanted people to know the situation in villages, as most authorities claim everything is hunky-dory. People are still struggling with many things including their financial status, lack of infrastructure, etc. We made an objective documentary and not taken any sides. It is a straight portrayal of reality.”

Directed by his brother, Yashasvi Juyal, who has been working on ground with the team, the documentary is available on YouTube for free. According to Juyal, talking and explaining is one thing but showing it on film will help the people more effectively. “People tend to believe more when they see visuals as then there is proof. We have spoken about what has happened onground and what is needed in that region. We have got the government officials and hospital staff and other health workers on quote,” he shares.

Juyal admits that while situation was terrible two months ago, now things are better. But now the issues villagers face is of money. “Many people who passed away due to Covid-19 were bread earners and now the families are struggling to make ends meet. Cloud bursting is another problem in the region and rising river levels threaten livelihood and homes. People are also searching for jobs in the pandemic economy. There is lack of awareness in villages as people don’t wear masks, don’t want to visit a doctor when they fall ill, and instead rely on home remedies,” he signs off.