Good Grape's Grove
Greetings! Welcome to my grove of creations;
photographs, films,
& writings await you...
Roam around
and pick your fruit.
Milestone Projects
a labour of love
MIDNIGHT MIRAGE
(Short Film with Auroville Film Institute and Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning)
2021 - Ladakh
A monastery atop a mountain.
The sublime night sky.
Young monks and their inquisitive minds.
When they all come together, they create a poetic ode to
childhood, freedom and dreams.
They create a mirage at midnight.
THE TRIBAL TASTE
(Coffee-Table Book + Film Series with TATA Steel CSR)
2022 - Assam, Jharkhand, Telengana
A three-month project with TATA- CSR along the eastern Adivasi coast of India. We explored and documented tribal culture and cuisine, one village and one tribe at a time. The end result was a book titled Re-Orthodoxed, on which I worked as a Chief Writer, and Photographer as well as a series of short films, for which I co-wrote the script.
THE KONKAN COAST LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT
(Coffee-Table Book with Govt. of India)
2024 - Gujarat and Maharashtra
A project undertaken by the Government of India (the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships) and executed by Cosmos Creative Events to document 75 lighthouses all across the country. I worked as a Writer and Photographer on the project. The book was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28th February 2024.
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INS BETWA 20th ANNIVERSARY FILM
(Short Film with the Indian Navy)
2024 - Karwar and Mumbai
A project undertaken by the Indian Navy to pay homage to INS Betwa, a steam-engine warship that marked two decades of dedicated service to the nation in 2024. The short film, on which I worked as screenwriter and director, traced the illustrious legacy of both incarnations of Betwa, life onboard the ship today and how the ship rose like a phoenix to receive one of the highest laurels bestowed on Naval Ships - the Unit Citation.
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About Me
Namaste. My name is Vanshika Bhatnagar and I am a 23-year-old filmmaker, photographer, writer, poet, and
story-listener.
I have traversed the length and breadth of India - from the Himalayas of Sikkim to the tribal villages of Telangana and the fertile flatlands of Assam to the deserts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. An ardent observer of life, each journey is as much inward as is outward. Each place, each face is a mirror, a map to reach Truth.
Cinema, indigenous communities, mountaineering, and social work are some areas of my interest. Currently, I am learning how to ride a motorbike and write songs. I dream of visiting Tibet someday and
mastering the art of meditation.
Withins and Withouts
A published collection of poetry
"And medicine, law, business, engineering - these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for!"
-Prof. John Keating, Dead Poets Society (1989)
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Filmography
Volunteer Work
As a fundraiser, educator and artist
July 2017- September 2017
At Mumbai Smiles NGO
Hosted a bake sale and raised Rs. 10,000. Funds used for buying menstrual pads for underprivileged girls.
August 2017 - April 2018
At Robin Hood Army NGO
Worked to distribute food from restaurants and cafes to slum people in and around South Mumbai. Also taught basic english and math to the slum children on the side (ages 4-12).
March 2023 - May 2023
At Sikkim Himalayan Academy
Taught art, meditation, english and basic photography to the children of this underprivileged school in a remote village. Made short films and photographed for their social media. Worked on a fundraiser which raised over Rs. 25,000 for the school.
"Wisdom doesn’t automatically come with old age. Nothing does – except wrinkles. It’s true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place."
-Abigail Van Buren
Get in touch, fellow good grape! Let's make fine wine together ;)
Any questions, critiques, or queries for collaboration? I'd love to hear from you. Write to me: