In 2021, filmmaker Neha Dixit from Nainital, Uttarakhand, set out on a trail to the snow-clad Himalayas to track down a ‘ghost’ — a moniker given to the elusive musk deer. The locals have a more forgiving name for it — ‘Kasturi’.

Neha wanted to film the story from a lens that tapped into the animal’s ecological role beyond the allure of its musk (sourced from a pouch in its abdomen). And she succeeded. In Search of Kasturi tells a visceral and confronting story of this 25 million-year-old species (according to fossil records). The musk deer is camera-shy. So, when it finally decides to make a cameo, I celebrate. Neha has finally found Kasturi.

“These are exactly the kind of stories we want to tell,” points out filmmaker Samreen Farooqui of Roundglass Sustain — a digital encyclopedia dedicated to India’s biodiversity. The initiative-backed films go beyond sparking wanderlust, they also drive impact. “The world is changing fast. We see storytelling and filmmaking as engaging the audience about what needs to be saved. That responsibility lies with a filmmaker. Because what they are essentially doing is chronicling our Earth for generations to come.”

That being said, Samreen adds that the essence of a film is amplified when the story is embedded in the environment of the filmmaker. Because they bring a unique and personal lens to the story. Roundglass Sustain, she points out, is simply visualising these powerful narratives.

1. In Search of Kasturi: Capturing the story of the musk deer

Neha’s feet ached as she crouched behind a snow-covered bush in the Himalayan highlands, awaiting the musk deer. But, neither the sub-zero temperatures nor the treacherous terrain could deter her. She was there with a rock-solid mission. She wanted to capture the musk deer on camera.

“We went in aware that even people who’ve lived there for decades have not seen the animal. It being crepuscular (active in twilight) means a limited number of hours in which it can be spotted. And, the

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