We want to do a project on Indigenous Knowledge of people of those living around the Uranium mining areas. The idea is to compliment the formal scientific evidence including health and radiological studies that have established the effects of radiation on ecology and people. The wisdom developed by people which does not rely on modern scientific terminology and sophistication is free from the boundaries of the organized science. There is no consensus in modern science about the effects of Uranium mining on ecology and humans as new facts are awaited to be discovered. While there already is great disagreement between scientists that funded by establishment and other scientists, the research we propose would enable further scientific research by providing alternate approaches and paradigms. We are applying for this fund as a part of a larger project. With this grant we would like to start our project in US and Canada and we would later continue similar work in Australia and Europe. However, this part of the project will be complete in itself and would only facilitate for us to conduct our extended project. Shri Prakash, the main researcher is acclaimed Documentary film maker and has won several international awards for his movies on uranium mining and other topics. He also has other research experience on various levels and has very effectively transformed the findings of his research in to films. By doing so, he was able to reach a wider audience and was able to spread the findings of his research. We intend to follow a similar model in the present research and hence filming will be a major part of the research.

The major methodology that will be used in this project is that of Oral history. We believe that oral histories are the best form of tapping ancient and traditional wisdom carried on through generations. We would conduct in-depth interviews with people living in areas where Uranium mining is taking place, conduct group discussions and study their folklores and customs. Certain ethnographic approaches will also be used including participant- observation by living with our respondents and taking part in their practices. The major medium for collecting our data will be on the visual media and hence the output would be both written project and a film project. Story-telling and recorded testimonies of the victims/ respondents would be a part of the presentation of the project. We want to conduct our research in US/ Canada on Uranium mining areas from 2011. We plan to disseminate our research findings by publishing in written form and with the help of audio/visual documentation.

The project we intend to do with Takagi fund covers US (New Mexico), Canada and India. We plan to later extend the research this research in Australia and Europe. While we already have data collected over the years from India, we need to collect data from US and Canada. The major expenses for this research would account for International travel and local travel for the main researcher. Other expenses include hiring the equipment for recording and publishing the research findings. We already have friends and acquaintances in both US and Canada including South West research and information centre and independent activists in Navajo nation who will help and assist us with logistics and other help in terms of accommodation etc whenever possible.

The major motivation behind the project is to strengthen the voices of the people by documenting and crediting their stories and narratives and also making such wisdom available to all of us. We also however hope to use this information to launch a campaign that to make laws banning Uranium mining.

There are two levels in which our project would have an impact on the society. First level is to create awareness by bringing to light the affects of uranium mining and the wisdom that communities possess that protect environment and humans against Uranium mining. Our project would open more opportunities for such research in the future and would move another step in the direction of making traditional wisdom available to the greater society. This process will also empower the communities by crediting the voices. However, on the next level, we would like to use the findings of our research to launch a campaign against Uranium mining and push for a law to ban uranium mining in India. We are inspired by the example of Navajo nation which declared a ban uranium mining to protect its people from cancers and other dangers. We are also encouraged by IPPNW's(International Physicians for prevention of Nuclear War) resolution calling for ban on Uranium mining. We consider this a crucial time for launching a campaign based on researched evidence to increase awareness against the dangers of Uranium mining. This project can help launching campaign on various other platforms including a campaign proposing United Nations to study and discuss this matter, which could one day lead to ban on Uranium mining in the world. We also plan to campaign in India seeking ban on Uranium mining. [Sep. 2010]

As we wanted to establish that science and traditional knowledge are not opposite, rather there is an urgent need to establish the traditional knowledge of indigenous people around the world as it is very important for human survivals. The impact of ¡ÆUranium mining¡Ç was the area of our work for this objective. The first film on this series is about the overall scenario of the area, this episode shows that it is almost impossible to mitigate or bring back the environment to pre mining conditions. Some areas are almost most reached to a dangerous situation which is now become unlivable for human beings. We have a lot more footages and documentations that show the human and environmental cost of Uranium mining. Uranium mining has been closed down in the south west that was more than thirty years ago. And the younger generation is already forgetting what the effects were. On the other hand there are new mining project that is being proposed.

We feel satisfied that we have really done a very good work and documentation on this very important subject. As now climate change has been reached to a critical stage and the nuclear lobbies are desperately trying to sale their technologies to poor countries. And in this entire business of nuclear trade, nobody listens to the people who are suffered the most, the indigenous communities. <.br>
Also we became more and more confident on our understanding that science need to be pro-people, not just to serve to the corporate, rich or the vested interests who pay money for the research. On the other hand, the traditional knowledge, wisdoms, which are accumulated for many generations need to be respected that is the only way we can live on the earth in harmony with nature. [Dec. 2015]