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Constantly rushing towards modernity, some voices are drowned out in silence, such as the subdued sorrow of wool. 'Desi Oon', a six-minute stop-motion film by Studio Eeksaurus, lends voice to wool, rendering it the narrator of its lost history. More than a short movie, Desi Oon is an art intervention—an intersection of ancient craft, ecological awareness, and the pastoral communities whose lives have been overshadowed by industrialisation. The film reignites discussions on indigenous Indian wool, the dwindling craft traditions around it, and the shepherding cultures that have protected this resource over centuries but are now at the fringes of an industry that has increasingly resorted to imported substitutes.
Studio Eeksaurus, with its unapologetic, experimental style of animation, has quickly become a maker of visually breathtaking films that do more than entertain — they educate, inspire, and provoke. This is a homegrown studio that has a track record of breaking creative ground; producing works that are infused with humor, social commentary, and an unmistakable aesthetic genius. The film, produced in association with the Centre for Pastoralism for the exhibition 'Living Lightly – Journeys with Pastoralists', becaomes o a cultural document that records and celebrates an endangered way of life.
The phrase 'Desi Oon' is used to refer to India's indigenous wool, a commodity once firmly rooted in the country's textile tradition but now obsolete. While India possesses the world's third-largest flock of sheep, its wool industry remains dependent on imports, with native shepherds and craftsmen left without work. The Centre for Pastoralism's Desi Oon Initiative has been working against this trend, aligning itself with textile manufacturers, designers, and herders to reimagine the local wool's use in fashion and handicrafts. Desi Oon, the film, is an ideal accompaniment to this initiative, offering a visual paean to a commodity long devalued and disrespected.
The film brings into existence the life of the wool itself, following its development from a once-revered material — to be woven into the fabric of human, animal, and nature's interconnectedness — to its present state of neglect. But Desi Oon is also a tribute, one that pays homage to the likes of Balumama, a revered shepherd who devoted his life to protecting the Deccani sheep, a breed at the center of India's pastoral legacy. The animation, painstakingly planned with actual Deccani wool, is thus a symbolic gesture in itself, emphasizing the material foundation of the relationship between the substance and its history. Each frame is a testament to the sheer research, care, and attention that went into the making of the film, with Studio Eeksaurus spending over a year immersing themselves in the lives of the shepherds, their animals, and the landscape that unites them.
Beyond its visual storytelling, Desi Oon is an aural experience that immerses its viewers in a soundscape of emotion. Narrated by lyricist Swanand Kirkire, composed by composer Rajat Dholakia, and sound-designed by Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty, the film transcends animation to become a multisensory experience. The voices, music, and ambient noises weave an enduring environment that supports the richness of loss and longing that the story conveys. Through these, Desi Oon does not merely communicate with those who are familiar with India's textile heritage but also with the world audience who are increasingly eager to engage in conversations about sustainability, craft, and the loss of traditional ways of living.
An embodiment of that philosophy at its finest. It blurs the lines between film and activism, art and ecology, and nostalgia and urgency. By putting indigenous wool and the people who depend on it at its core, the film makes the viewer question their own connection to materials, heritage, and the people who keep them going. In a world of quick fashion and industrialized textile production, Desi Oon is a reminder and a warning, one that reminds us of the beauty and resilience of India's heritage crafts.
