When they make films : Part 2

In this two-part series, social activist Shabana Diler interviews Maheen and Rinchin – two independent filmmakers who have paved a different, challenging and exceedingly interesting path for themselves. Through a collective effort, their fascinating journey has led them to make ‘Turup’ and ‘Agar wo desh banati’ – two remarkable films of our times. First part discussing making of ‘Turup’ was published in Misa Online’s July issue. This part is about the second film - ‘Agar wo desh banati’.  

Agar wo desh banati’ sheds light on the lives of the labourers affected by the mines and thermal power plants. While doing so, it focuses on the fight mainly being led by the dalits and the tribals, especially the women and their victories.

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In conversation with Maheen and Rinchin –

Which mines are we talking about in the film? Can you share a little history of these mines for our readers?

Spread over an expanse of 112,000 ha, the Gare-Pelma coal block lies in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh (India). Part of the Mand Raigarh coal field, it is the largest coal reserve in Chhattisgarh with an estimated 21,117 MT of coal.

Massive mining operati****ons began in Tamnar & Gharghora blocks from 1997 onwards and 15 companies have benefitted from coal extraction and thermal power generation projects. Over 12 mines (7 operating, 5 proposed) and 5 thermal power plants (2 operating, 3 proposed) directly or indirectly impact 90 of the 116 villages in the region.

How did you get entry into all of these mines and the hazardous places?

Through the people who are involved in the struggle there. These mines, thermal power plants and all the pollution, hazards and dangers they bring are cropping up at such an alarming rate around people and they have no choice but to live with all that. The mining companies of course are extremely wary of cameras and the media. They also know that they are actively subverting, circumventing and violating law and so they wouldn’t want that to make its way out of there. Whenever there is a rally or demonstration by the people, videos of all the people that are involved are made by the administration and police. When or how it will be used is not difficult to imagine.

How do you make the women so comfortable in front of the camera?

We have had a very long association with the people there. That’s why we are comfortable with each other. Also, all the protagonists are at the forefront of the struggle and they have stood up for their rights before the companies, the administration, the police, the media and in courts of law. They’ve mobilized and addressed large and small gatherings in an attempt to educate, inform and protect people and their rights. And so, the camera was not something they are unaccustomed to. In fact, they have utilized its potential to reach a larger public.

You have made a judicious use of women talking about their life and situation and simultaneously the narrators giving us the specificities in terms of the rights of the tribals according to the various provisions of the law, etc.

In a way it was the women protagonists of the film who controlled what got projected in the film and also its content. It was important to juxtapose their life experiences with the provisions of the law because sometimes as audiences we see the former as trouble makers and are often uninformed about the latter. We wanted to bring to the foreground the fact that these women are fighting for their rights and these are very much in the purview of the law. It is not something extra ordinary that they are asking for. Through their struggle they are actually pushing for the law to be followed.

There is an instance where the tribal local is talking with so much sympathy for the snakes who seem to be telling them that they have lost their space of living, while she herself has lost all her land to the mining company. What an irony! Would you like to comment about this and elaborate a little about it?

It’s so true and what she says is also a reality of her life. That is the way life that used to exist where the balance between nature and humans was an inherent part of life. Each had its place and tilting this balance has wreaked havoc to say the least. What has been lost is not just land but their way of life that was a coexistence with forest and nature. It is not that everything was idyllic in villages of India. Feudal, brahminical, casteist, and patriarchal control are very much prevalent. Adivasis have had to historically resist land grab by several players. Dalits have had to fight for their dignity and their place within their villages and still continue to do so. Women’s struggles within their families against patriarchy are not in any way a new phenomenon. And now with the big companies using the very same structures of oppression they are being further marginalized and deprived of a way of life, livelihood and dignity.

Another instance where the tribal woman is talking about how the government wants to make their village clean and ODF (open defecation free) and yet it is now just a dump yard of ashes and smoke due to the mining companies who have taken away their land and everything. She in turn asks why the government cannot stop these companies who are destroying their lovely villages and the forests around. These parts of the film are so hard hitting….

That is true. Without any hesitation, the women by their bare questions expose the myth of development as we are being fed. The contradictions in what the state says and does can be so easily exposed. On one hand the state will encourage the planting of trees and on the other it will allow for such massive cutting down of forests with trees that are hundreds of years old. How can a country develop when there are is such incongruity in its policies?

You have also shared the slide regarding the health hazards of mining. That too is impactful. Would you like to add any further information regarding this?

This slide comes from research carried out by the inhabitants of the villages along with the help of a group of committed doctors and environmentalists. When you have to live in an environment with such high levels of toxins that pollute the food you eat, the air you breathe and the water you drink, every part of the body is affected. Not a single person here can be called healthy. Everyone is baffled by the strange ways in which their bodies and minds behave and these are all new experiences. The headaches, the stomach upsets, the fatigue, the incessant coughing, the skin eruptions, the emotional and mental troubles are not without explanation. The health survey brought all of this to light and the medical professionals articulated in medical and chemical terms what the people have been saying - the mining and the power plants are polluting their environment and making them sick.

Can you share some of the interesting experiences during the making of the film?

Having some familiarity and access to the women helped a great deal in planning a basic framework for the film. However, very early in the film making process we realized that all the tropes that are prescribed for making films were not going to work. Mostly as people who make films, we feel we can generate and navigate the content of our material in the way we’ve planned it. But often there is a disparity between where we want to go with a film and where the people the film is about, are taking it. We tend to ignore the latter. Ownership and authorship by the people who are part of the film are critical to strengthen the integrity of the content. And so, for us, taking a step back and reexamining the power we yield and the position we occupy in any film are equally critical. While making this film we tried to follow the direction that was emerging from the conversations, discussions, critiques as and when they happened. Here the women, like everywhere else, were always busy and working and that’s when these conversations would happen. The film then wasn’t an external component but got intertwined with their daily life.

What was most interesting was the way in which women articulated their thoughts. There were never ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers to the questions. Their concerns would be qualitatively clarified. If they were asked about their attachment to land, the answer would be the story of an old man who came and saw a mine where his land was and fainted. He never recovered and not very long after, passed away. The same goes for the story about the snakes. It is very difficult to quantify such responses and often we try to break down and summarize such narratives especially when it comes from the women. I for one have learnt and grown much while making this film through the interactions and an exposure to a deeply thoughtful way of seeing and understanding life.

And yet the film ends with the pictures of the struggles and on a positive note. Was it a conscious decision?

Yes. the positive note was to celebrate the struggle and strength of the people. It was also a declaration that the fight is not over. It is still continuing. In such and unfair system, the marginalized have to keep fighting to survive. There is no other option. It is a sad reflection of our democracy. But the resilience and struggles are what can inspire every one of us to fight for change. And so, it is finally also a call for us wherever we are to join this fight.

The film also refers to the organization of the mine workers. Can you tell us about it?

Dalit Adivasi Kisan Sangharsh and Dalit Adivasi Mazdoor Sangathan are the formations through which people articulate their demands. The three women, who are also the protagonists of the film, were honoured with the Chingari award. The women created a joint fund with the award for the benefit of the affected communities. Any contribution can go into that to support their struggle. They are hoping to use that not just for their day to day struggle but to provide certain education and space to women in the area.

How can we see the film?  

The film has been produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and Doordarshan. It can be procured from PSBT.

Website - https://psbt.org/films/agar-wo-desh-banati-if-she-built-a-country/

Shabana Diler

shabanadiler1@gmail.com