Documentary filmmaker Vijaya Mulay passes away at 98

NEW DELHI: In the memory of millions who grew up watching Doordarshan in the 1970s and '80s, the playfully instructive song, 'Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiya', is a fond signpost. Vijaya Mulay, who directed 'Ek Anek Aur Ekta', the animation short featuring that enduring track, passed away at her south Delhi residence on Sunday evening. She was 98.
Mulay's seven-minute film, aimed at children, messaged the importance of unity in diversity and celebrated its powers and pleasures. The film's popular number, composed by the renowned Vasant Desai, became a staple at primary school functions. Produced by animation pioneer Bhim Sain - who later directed iconic features such as 'Gharaonda' and 'Dooriyan' - 'Ek Anek aur Ekta' received the national award for best promotional film in the non-commercial category in 1974. The short has over 1.7 million views on YouTube.

A film historian of merit, Mulay was also given the national award for best writing on cinema for her work, From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond: Images of India in International Films of the Twentieth Century.


A multi-tasker, Mulay was engaged in creating a wide network of film societies, invaluable for the spread of meaningful cinema in the country. "She was the founder of Patna Film Society and a pillar of Delhi Film Society. She later became president of the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) after Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. She was an educationist by profession and close friends with former PM Indira Gandhi and Marie Seton, the British film scholar. Along with the likes of Ray, film critic Chidananda Dasgupta and Seton, she mentored a generation of filmmakers and film-writers in India," wrote VK Cherian, author of India's Film Society Movement: The Journey and its Impact, in a post on Facebook.

Mulay's debut documentary, The Tidal Bore, was about a giant swell of water moving up the river Hooghly. The making of the documentary wasn't easy. "Getting hold of raw stock was a huge problem those days. Renowned French filmmaker Louis Malle and a group of people sent her raw stock from Paris," recalled her daughter, actress Suhasini Mulay. Ray provided the film's commentary.

She brimmed with vitality till the end. Suhasini remembered that on August 15 last year her mother took out the national flag that she had unfurled with her husband in 1947. "She had preserved the flag all these years and recalled her fondest memories of that day," she said. It was a rich life, fully realised.