Panihari: The Water Women of India

2004 • Directed by

Sudhi Rajagopal

Documentary

Indian-American filmmakers Abi Devan and Sudhi Rajagopal explore life in the desert communities of Rajasthan, India, in this visually lush documentary. The Panihari are lower-caste women who fetch water every morning, often walking 10 or 15 miles each day. This compelling film follows one such woman, Paru, a shoemaker's wife, as she struggles for self-reliance and to attain security for her family in the face of unimaginable hardship.