Day 1 Patwardan

An extremely interesting, inspiring and interactive session with a thought-provoking film maker and I simply cant wait to pen down all the details. What I’m talking about is a day-long workshop with Anand Patwardhan, an award winning documentary film maker, unafraid of controversies, contemporaries or consequences; a person who depicts reality as it is and one whose over-powering presence fills the audience with awe and admiration.

The Manipal Institute of Communication, under the supervision of faculty members Samvartha and Prof. Sunil Bhadri organized an interaction with this great celebrity in what turned out to be one of the most memorable events in the history of the college. The day started with the screening of War and Peace, [“Aman aur Jung”], a movie on the demerits and hazards caused by the tactless decision of developing nations going nuclear under the pretext of defence and security reasons. Honestly, before watching the movie I was amongst those who believed in the concept of fighting fire with fire; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth as the age old adage goes. The only way for India to prove her might and superiority was nuclear empowerment, making it clear to the other countries that we were not to be messed with. Watching this documentary made me realise how easy it was for an individual to take a stand by hearing just one side of the story. The footage of the thousands of lives lost, endangered and deformed in test centres like Pokhran, Khetolai and Jadugoda; suffering in terms of the loss of homes, farms, property and self-esteem is something that has scarred the foundation of the nation forever and no amount of technological or scientific development can even come close to compensation. The disturbingly real visuals helped at least most of the students there realise that they were the ones monumental in bringing about change, in terms of equality, peace and brotherhood. The only way out for all nations is nuclear disarmament! This was followed by a post mortem of the movie with Anand cleverly justifying his stand in the film and how he was faced with opposition from all concerned authorities in the country as the film was perceived to be anti-establishment, anti-nuclear and pro-Pakistan.

The session post lunch involved the screening of the films “Ram ke Naam” and Father, Son and the Holy war; both of which predominantly revolved around social issues of casteism, male dominance, religious and communal differences and political involvement and manipulation resulting in scapegoats being made out of the illiterate as well as the educated sections of the society. The former dealt with the demolition of the Babri masjid and the Ayodhya issue in a sensitive manner. The latter saw the masses support Sati, accept male superiority and condemn women progress or involvement in matters not concerning the running of the household. Both the films stressed on how most parties in the country like the Shiv Sena, BJP, Hinutva activists and Muslim league influenced the minds of the public by calling out to them under the pretext of religious dominance, patriotism, honour and the like; and how these leaders were willing to stoop to any levels whatsoever to ensure votes in the next elections.

The entire event proved to be thought-provoking right from the start to the finish. I could clearly see the protected surrounding sphere inside which I lived a superficial, secure and ignorant life, oblivious to our country’s troubled past and the distressing present day conditions; and I can say quite confidently that every other person on that room was going through the same unsure flow of emotions. Time is running out rather rapidly indeed and if we care enough to make a difference it has to be done at once. The entire responsibility at a whole new approach to issues like caste, creed, religion, secularism, superiority and peace lies in the hands of the youth; the current bulk of population that has chosen time and again to turn a blind eye to controversies and remain dormant in the most important of matters. We can make a difference, but ONLY if we really want to. Thankfully we still have individuals like Anand Patwardhan who remind us time and again that we have moral duties, and life is so much more than our regular, rather predictable routines!