The Pattani Archives, under the Sir Prabhashankar Pattani Open Window Charitable Trust, strives to preserve the region’s histories for public engagement and cultural growth of the place and its people. Through events, plays, and exhibitions, we have been bringing local micronarratives to light. As a part of that endeavour we present Kavi Kant, the first documentary on the life and works of poet-philosopher Kavi Kant. The film is made by Jay Kholia and produced by the Purvalaap Foundation.

A physicist-turned-filmmaker from Surat, Jay Kholia has created several Prayoga short films under the guidance and mentorship of renowned film theorist Amrit Gangar. His works have been screened at international film festivals across India and abroad.

The film is a result of nearly eight months of dedicated research by Jay Kholia. A key part of making the film “Kavi Kant” involved accessing rare and significant publications of Kavi Kant preserved in the Pattani Archives Library. These publications included ‘Heaven and Hell’ by Swedenborg which Kavi Kant translated in Gujarati as ‘Swarg and Nark’, translation of Swedenborg’s book “Navu Yarushalem ane teno Swargiya Siddhant” by Kavi Kant, and his gujarati translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Gitanjali’, among others.