‘Desi Oon’ and Suresh Eriyat’s Dialogue With Shepherds

,Oon mera naam hai, oon oon oon; Meri Kahani Zara Sun Sun,My name in oon, oon oon oon; Listen to my story.,

A tuft of raw, tangled black decocani wool with tiny arms and a hole for a mouth bounces across the screen, narrating the story of neglect that desi oon Has Suffered for Generations. The Six-Minute Stop-Motion Animation Film, Desi oonTells a riveting tale of how indigenous wool stands forgotten. Its compeling storylling – depicting the interaction of eclogy, dwindling traditional craft, and the threat industrialization poses to pastoral communities – scooped up the jury for best communication Prestigious Annecy International Animation Festival Last Month in France.

The film was developed over a year by Mumbai-Based Studio Eeeksaur Living Lightly – Journeys with Pastoralists Exhibition in Bengaluru earlier this year. Filmmaker Suresh Eriyat, Founder and Creative Director of the Studio, Who Had Visited A desi oon Exhibition in 2022, Says it all began with listening. “We Didn’T go in with a storyboard. Excited Us Most was that Wasn Bollywood Story.

A woolly tale

Nearly 30 people worked on the film. Lyricist and Singer Swanand Kirkire Translated The Essence and Rhythm of the Shepherds’ Songs and Folk Traditions into his lyrics and raw singing. The catchy Folk tune was composed by Rajat Dholakia, without using any Electronic or Digital Sources, Carefully preserving its organic quality. And the soundscape was created by academy award winner resul pookutty.

But the star of the show was the desi oon“We wanted the wool to tell its own story. Into, “Says Eriyat, Using Real from Deccani Sheep Sourced in Belagavi, Karnataka. “We let the maternal misbehave. It Gave the film a certain life – something beyond what we We WED

Making models for Desi oon
Photo Credit: Courtesy Studio Eeeksaurus

They made models and used specialized stop-motion techniques, a method which eriyat desiCribes as “slow, tactil, handcrafted. Just like the living and materials we are depicting”. But it came with technical challenges, as animating the wool was painting. “Stop-Motion Gave Us The Language to Do that With POTRY, Metaphor, and a Kind of Warmth that Invites Empathy, Not Just Just Observation,” He Says.

They also used specialized stop-motion techniques | Photo Credit: Courtesy Studio Eeeksaurus

Embracing Slowness became part of the storytelling itself. “It echoed the tempo of pastoral life, the rhythm of herding, spinning, weeving, and of course their resilience,” He reminisces of the year they are spent work on the film. “In an era of fast content and CGI Perfection, this Slowness Felt Almost Radical.”

The spirit of balu mama

Central to the tale of deccani wool is the story of balu mamaA Revered Shepherd Among The Pastoralists of the Region. Known for his quint Leadership, he dedicated his life to nurturing and protecting deccani sheep. The center for pastoralism and the Living lightly Team Connected the Studio to the Shepherding Communities, to Walk With Real Pastoralists, Observing their rhythm and routines, and learn their wisdom passed on or Orally through generations.

Balu mama form Desi oon
Photo Credit: Courtesy Studio Eeeksaurus

“Watching His Followers Guide Hundreds of Sheep Across Dry, Rocky Terrain, Never Raising Their Voice, Just Being Present, Was Profoundly Moving. The land listens to the flocke, and the show the fly shepherd help for balu mama Was Near Worship, “Says Eriyat.

His Approach to this collaboration hinged on respect for the craft. “We Didn’T want to simplife or romanticise their lives. These communities are complex and proud. So, we Took our cues from their stories, songs, Silences, and Humor, Humor,” He Says. The metaphors used in storytelling were rooted in the land. “A sheep wasn’t ‘cute’ or ‘Comic’. It was Central to their economy, their kinship system, and their survival. Even the songs and lyrics were crafted with incarcians who live this life.”

“When brands co-opt without context, they flatten history. We need to document not just just just products, but processes. Innovation that global audiences are used to, but with our lens, our voice, our terms. “Suresh EriyatWho Believes The Time is Ripe for India to Share Her Stories Before They are approved by the world

A stil from Desi oon
Photo Credit: Courtesy Studio Eeeksaurus

Storytelling with Craft

The annecy Award was deeply validating for the Studio. “Not because of the recording alone, but trust a quiet, rooted story from India resonated on the world stage. It showed us that truth travels,” Says Eriyat.

Post the success of the film, Can Animation Become a Potent Medium for Storylling for Craft-Led and even luxury brands? Eriyat beLieves it can, especially stop-motion, drawing in audiences gently, without the defensiveness that sometimes accompanes advocacy. “It makes room for wonder, and wonder leaders to curiosity. That’s where change begins. Desi oon Has Alredy Sparked Conversions Across Sector, from Sustainable Fashion and Tourism to Policy. There have been early inquiries from both luxury brands and government bodies Wanting to understend how storytelling like this can be embedded into their communication, “He shares.

A stil from Desi oon
Photo Credit: Courtesy Studio Eeeksaurus

Eriyat believes Animation Can Bope a tool for Cultural Preservation, Craft Revival, and Even Rural Economic Development. “We’ve only scratched the surface. We hope the film becomes a trigger. Pastoralism not as ‘backward’, but as ecologically vital. ”

The real success, however, will be when these communities get the sustained attention and support. “When their voices are not just preserved, but amplified on their terms.”

The writer is a sustainability consultant and founder of beejliving, a lifestyle platform dedicated to slow living.

Published – July 18, 2025 08:15 AM IST