Stark as truth
ANUJ KUMAR
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Noted journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta on his documentary “Hot As Hell”.
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On the boil A still from "Hot As Hell"
Well, truth can be stranger than fiction,” says Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. Usual words? Not quite, for a look at his documentary “Hot As Hell” based on the coal mines in Jharia in Dhanbad district proves how reali
ty could be salient and arresting at the same time – no docu-drama, no hearsay, just plain facts.
Through his work spread over five parts, the seasoned journalist seeks to explain why underground fires are raging in one of India’s oldest mining areas that produces the most valuable coal available in India. Some four lakh people are living on top of a veritable inferno and the area is one of the most polluted areas on earth.
The collusion
Says Paranjoy, “As a journalist I have been covering the issues concerning the coal industry for years but the area is still facing neglect. It is not that the national media or the government is not in the know of things. A film like ‘Kala Patthar’ with coal mining as the background was made back in ‘70s. But because of the mafia’s collusion with the political parties the problems of the region have not been addressed.”
He explains the situation has reached this level because of years of ‘slaughter’ mining has caused the land to subside. The documentary shows how a petrol pump is working within 100 metres of smouldering cracks. Some 70 such fires are burning in a relatively small but densely populated area.
“The Damodar river has been reduced to a slush and people are getting affected by respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders. Coal mining itself results in environmental degradation and underground fires have compounded the problem.” It also highlights the hazardous conditions under which coal miners work resulting in deaths caused by negligence and flouting of rules and regulations.
The irony
At another level, the documentary explains how the nationalisation of coal mines has not helped the matters much. The mafia controls the lives of workers. There are visuals of theft of coal and illegal mining of coal. Paranjoy says the irony is the best quality coal that should be used for making steal is being used for making chappatis!
He explains the well-connected gangsters-run transportation business and don’t allow anybody to load coal without their cut, called rangdari tax. “They corner construction contracts, conduct money lending operations and have successfully infiltrated local administration.” Establishing the nexus between Delhi’s bigwigs and Jharia’s mafia, one senior journalist reveals how bogey-full of scotch is sent from the small to Delhi.
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in the film.
It was difficult for Paranjoy to talk about the mafia links. “Wherever I shot I informed the police in advance. Then I have used footage of some local freelance journalists. Some people might say that I have largely talked only about gangsters who are dead. My answer is I have to work in the area but I have made my point. There have been instances in the past when a filmmaker who made a documentary on the region was bumped off. And the murder was passed off as an accident.” The film also looks into this trend of planned killings executed like road accidents.
Paranjoy says he is optimistic about the future but nothing will work without the relocation of some 400 thousand people. “I have shown the film to the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Let’s see.”
On his part, Paranjoy is working towards adding one more section to the documentary. “I am also translating it into Hindi and Bengali and editing it to an hour-long piece for the international audience.”
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