Our world, their world

Some thoughts on Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai

I moved out to the street – in heavy slow steps – and called up the number I had not answered as the film was being screened.

Other end: How was the film?

Me: Disturbing.

Other end: Audience?

Me: Room was full, more people than chairs and no one either talked on the phone or went out.

Other end: Did anyone disturb the screening? Problems have been reported from Delhi.

Me: No.

We were to discuss conservation education but it was kind of difficult task after one had heard of people being cut, killed and burnt. As I sat in the bus, I wondered on saving wildlife when human life had very little value. I was returning home after attending a screening of Nakul Singh Sawhney’s Muzaffarnagar Baaki Hai at Lamakaan. The screening had been disrupted few weeks ago at Delhi and 25^th August was the date for screenings at multiple locations across our country. Lamakaan is an inclusive cultural space that promotes and presents the best of arts, literature, theatre, debate and dialogue with a commitment to being open and accessible. Approximately 7,000 people attended the screenings across the country at 40 odd centers. Before I move to my reactions to the film I wish more strength to the makers of film, spaces which helped screen the film as also the social media.

(image from a related page on facebook)

If I am to pick two moments from the film the scene which stuck as chilling was where people visit the burnt house and audio from Garam Hawa (if I recall correct) plays in the back-ground. Have we learnt anything from our past I wondered! One line which hit on the face was a young girl saying of male members in the household “Ghar ke bahar jaane nahin dete, Kuch karne nahin dete, Lekin izzat bata dete hain, Yeh izzat ki topi khud ke sir pe kyun naihn pehen lete”.  A line – simple, stark, true.

The film is unsettling and one that we will do good to invest little more than two hours in. It left me wondering whether we all seem to be living in our small worlds feeling happy and important – disconnected with what is happening around us, in our country? We are content with referring to Uttar Pradesh as ‘bad lands of Uttar Pradesh’ and I surely disagree with the friend who said he knows of Bihar when his sole qualification to that claim was being an audience of 2 Anurag Kashyap films. Are we simply not bothered? To quote Arundhati Roy “The Indian elite has seceded into outer space. It seems to have lost the ability to understand those who have been left behind on earth.” Elite here, encompasses the middle class.

Are we also scared of being unsettled? Of listening and seeing that which leaves us troubled and referring to is as gory, gross and inhuman. Recalled a question that rose some weeks back, at a small gathering I was a part of – why do we term actions like these as ‘inhuman’ when we keep repeating them?  Harsh Mander pointed out last month, during his talk, of 40% population of our national capital staying in slums (a friend working on sanitation added last week that a similar proportion does not have access to toilets) and we, as if, don’t acknowledge their presence till something hits us. 

After the film during discussion one participant said that riots take place primarily because of prevalence of poverty and lack of education. This left me stunned. The disturbing image my mind carries from 2002 riots is that of a not small group of aunties in sarees coming out on streets in aggression banging vessels. These collective aggressions took place in fairly affluent pockets of Amdavad, Vadodara, Surat besides others over a period of few weeks. Why is it so easy and ‘logical’ to place the blame on those bearing lesser power?

Some very interesting, bold, positive and pertinent actions were shown as happening alongside the power induced hatred and violence. I recalled Siddharth Deb in his The Beautiful and the Damned : Life in New India write in a crisp manner of such local, relevant, effective efforts at Bhopal adding that they seldom get due recognition from the English speaking Metros.

The normalcy with which people talked of the massacres will remain with me for a while as I hope for Bihar to be safe and peaceful as it approaches elections.