Matters that matter
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Jeevika: South Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival drew attention to issues often ignored by the media. Anuj Kumar
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Out of the 128 entries, 26 films selected by the jury were on show.
Different hues of reality Stills from some of the films on show.
It was cinema with a purpose. As the Jeevika: South Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival came to a close, it brought to notice issues that the mainstream media continues to ignore or bury on the edit pages.
Nidhi Chadha, Senior Coordinator-Programmes, Centre for Civil Society that organises the annual festival said, “We have been working towards sensitising the society about livelihood issues, creating awareness leading to policy change. One of our research showed that the coolie badges on the New Delhi station are being sold for two to five lakhs in the grey market. The badge has a social value as a father passes his licence to his son or son-in-law.” According to Nidhi, the society felt that such issues could be better highlighted through documentaries. Hence a festival on livelihood issues germinated in 2004. “Through the documentaries, we have tried to sensitise the policy makers. Like the documentary, ‘In Search of a Job’, centred on the plight of elephants in the North-East, who have been rendered jobless through a policy that bars them from working. The domesticated elephants can’t return to jungles and since the mahouts have lost a regular source of income, they are no longer interested in their upkeep. The film showed there is possible employment for such elephants in the temples of Kerala. We have shown it to the MPs from the North East.”
Variety on show
Out of the 128 entries, 26 films selected by the jury were on show. The first prize winner “Ambiji’s Retirement” reflected how to keep the traditional knowledge alive in the globalised world. Set in West Garo Hills, the films deals with how orchards are affecting the jhoom fields in the region. Director Nandini Bedi questions if the global doesn’t encompass the local, then what does it contain? “In 2006, a basket of organically grown ginger of about 40 kilos from jhum land was exchanged in the local market for Rs.40. Eight years ago, it fetched three hundred. If this is the version of globalisation the people of Sadolpara are witnessing, how else can it be looked at than a complete devaluation of their knowledge, beliefs and their very lifestyle itself,” Bedi questions in the film.
“The Right To Survive”, which bagged the second prize, explored the oft-repeated assumption that turtle conservation and fisheries livelihoods go hand in hand on the coast of Orissa. Rita Banerjee, co-director of the film felts the solution is not so simple. “It requires a consortium of different stake holders to work in sync and a scientific method to locate 50-60 kms of area where the turtles congregate out of 1434 square km coast should be adopted. Trawlers which use mechanised nets should not be allowed to fish within 20 kilometres of the coast.” The film also questions the policy makers’ decision to allow Reliance rig, Tata’s Port and Cosco’s plant to come up in the vicinity of the marine sanctuary.
In the student category, Radhika Murthy and Robert Stoeger’s “Mandai” shared the first prize with Prakash Traveling Cinema by Megha Lakhani. The former contrasted the impressions of Mandai, a vibrant market place in the heart of Pune with the modern malls in the city. “It’s an attempt to look into two contrasting ways to earn livelihood by selling almost the same products. In a way it’s exotic India versus poor India without being judgemental,” said Radhika, who is studying direction at FTII. Some of the other films that caught attention were “Bahuroopi” by Manish Dave and “Gali” by Paresh Hazra.
Will the films percolate beyond India Habitat Centre? Nidhi assured in the affirmative. “We are taking it to different schools and colleges in different parts of the country.” But the permeation is not always smooth? Complained Nandini, whose film is in Garo dialect, “The film has English subtitles. When Doordarshan showed the film, it put the newsline on the subtitles. It shows the seriousness of the public broadcaster.”
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