After the success of his first documentary, Almighty Prevails in Nature, lawyer and author Harpreet Sandhu turns his focus on the impact of the lockdown on natureNatural progression

Manpriya Singh

Before the world took a forced and equally much-needed pause, the nature was replete with visuals that are sightly but unfortunately ignored. Often spoken about but seldom felt; the sunrise, sunset, birds perched atop trees and the beauty of plantations that define the landscape of Punjab. Which is why the fact that his documentary could inspire people to take note of such marvels when the nation has come to a standstill, is both fulfilling and humbling experiencing for High Court lawyer and author Harpreet Sandhu.

“It took 32 days to compile my works, from roughly 32 clips and 4,000 pictures into a 13-minute documentary film, Almighty Prevails in Nature, which literally translates into Balihari Kudrat Vasiya,” he gets us started about his endeavour that not just highlights the beauty of nature but the close connect between the Almighty and nature.

“At the end there is a closing message by Padma Shri awardee Punjabi writer Surjit Patar and the entire project just kind of fell in place at different stages, starting with my six to eight-month-long stay at Sultanpur Lodhi,” adds the lawyer- documentarian, who credits his passion for landscaping and photography to his frequent visits to Germany, a country whose half a dozen scenic points and lanes he can recall off the cuff.

“Do you know 60 per cent of their area is under forest?” he questions while at the same time rues the fact that though the beauty of Punjab is no less, it is much less underscored than it should be because only 10 per cent of the people have an interest in nature and history.

In the offing is his second documentary. He says, “I have done 10 per cent of the homework.” The second documentary will partly focus on the impact of the lockdown on nature. “Rain comes every second day these days. The leaves are so green, which is fantastic,” he is hoping to freeze in his lens the myriad shades of green abundant in nature.

“By the way, do you know the banks of River Satluj are as beautiful as the shores of Goa?” he questions driving home the point that people should explore their home state before they travel to other places.

Meanwhile, with all the due COVID-19 permissions in place to visit the areas near River Satluj, he’s hoping to get lucky with the weather, and find the migratory birds that frequent the region at this time. “I am hoping to get eight to 10 shots, let’s see,” he signs off.

manpriya@tribunemail.com