From: mukta srivastava <muktaliberated@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 8:53 AM
Subject: [initiative-india] Reminder : Artists' program on the eve of Human Rights day in solidarity with Sharmila Irom, Mumbai Chapter
To:
Yirmiyan Arthur Yhome
Phalee
2008.
45min.
This is excellent. Phalee is a village in Manipur and Ukhrul, it means 'the good land'. It shows the graveyard, and has a very candid interview, about weekly groupings and torture, and the movement, and the changes within the movement against the Indian govt. Uses the most beautiful songs, about history, war devastation, with perfect subtitles, for songs help she acknowledges Reuben Mashagva.
fabulous film. so succinct. says everyhting and more in just 45min. it's a visual treat too. has a very fabulously depicted women's collective meeting.
Kavita joshi
tales from the marjins
23min
tales fro the margins: about the women's movements for justice in manipur, including iron sharmila
Haobam Pawan Kumar
AFSPA
1958
76 mins
It is a heart wrenching documentar on the death of Manorama Devi and P Chittaranjan. The movie name stands for Armed forces special powers act 1958, which Manipur had been placed under till 2004. In 2004, in July, 4 jawans of the 17th Assam Rifles entered the home of Manorama Devi and after raping her murdered her. When this was discovered protests against the AFSPA started immediately in her village Bamon Tapu. These protests first tried to be quelled thrugh police action and curfews, but soon the protests moved away from young boys pelting stones to Women who would shame the army for their deeds in manipur. The government's initial action was to wash away the story, but soon it became a popular movement which was spearheaded by the Manipur Forward Youth Front. The family of Manorama Devi refused to consign her body to flames. The Assam Rifles insttuted an inquiry into the incident, but the people of Manipur wanted the lifiting of the AFSPA, and the handing over of the jawans to the manipur police. This was refused and soon the protest became a mass movement with all sections of the society and across religios lines - Muslims Christians hindus. Some intellgent tactics to shame the army and the government were used, such as refusing to accept the body of Manorama Devi until the demands were met, and holding mock hindu funerals for her. They also used women to shame the amry through protests where old ladies would offer their bodies to be raped. The movie has heart breaking footage of army action against stone pelters, young boys, journalists, and others. It also shows the one month death anniversary of Manorama Devi, and the governement'sdesperate attempt at giving her a funerl without any of her family members being present. The protests were soon joined by writer intelletals film makers and the journalists of Manipur. And soon the chief Minsiter. Okram Ibobi Sing relented and gave a press onference where he promised to end the AFSPA, and aked for the removal of Assam Rifles from the Kangla Fort. But these demands were not met soon and seemed to be only hog wash, and protests continued, as did the attrocities against the protesters. Soon self-immolation outside the chimef minister's residence were started which were quickly extnguised by the police. But one such protester, P. Chittaranjan was able to immolate himslef successfully. He suffered 90% burns and died after 4 days. His family refused to accept his body and the government had to confine his body to flames in an undisclosed location under tough security. The family member of P Chittaranjan and the protest movement decided to shame the government and the army, by giving p chittaranjan an elaborate funeral, as one given to a brae warrior with 1000s attending. They also organised rallies in Imphal and Churachundpur. Protesting the government's delay in implementing its promises and in one such rally the borther of Manorama also spoke. They also had heart wrenching interview of Irom Sharmilla and other people involved int he movement. Soon Ibobi Sing seeing the popular resentment agaisnt AFSPA convinced the centre of partial lifiting of the AFSPA from Imphal and the surrounding areas. And also promised the complete withdrawl of the Assam Rifles by Dec 2004 from the Kangla Fort. The movie ends with the funeral of p Chittaranjan and it portrays a mass movement led by women to shame an army. A movement non-violent and intelligent in its techniques, channeling the public resentment.
[Rating 5*]
*
Radhamohini Prasad
Machis Ko Sinka
(Matchstick)
10:34 mins
A project which began as a search for an Indian Nepali identity, Machis ko Sinka [Matchstick] evolved into an attempt to understand the movement for Gorkhaland as it was then in 2008 in Darjeeling, and to represent it for mainland Indians who are complacently ignorant about the region, its politics and economics. The film looks at a specific moment in the recent history of the movement when arguments for and against the use of violence were raging amongst the youth, touching thereby the spectre of violence and hatred that haunted the hills in the late eighties.
The film begins with Subhas Ghising [Gorkha liberation front in Autonomous District Council] and Bimal Gurung (his one time follower), when Bimal tell Subhas not to take him to a meeting becasue he could act like a matchstick and cause a forest fire. To give some background to this conceptual film, the movie reflects the ideological change within the Gorkha liberation front by filming the chatter of a group of young gorkhas playing billiards. Subhash Ghising brought about the creation of the Gorakha Autonomous District Council in Darjeeling and its surrounding areas by violent agitations in the 1980s. A few years ago, Bimal Gurung ousted Subhas Ghising, from the DAC, rejecting Ghising's violent methods and adopting Gandhian Civil Disbedience as a strategy, which brought Bimal Gurung to power and has given the movement much more credibility. During the film, the young Gorkhas questioned the need for an independent Gorakha land, and its justification. The betrayal of Subhas Ghising and other polticians, and the need for a new leader (Bimal Gurung) to lead them towards their actaul aim of creating a state within the Indian Union. It is an excellently conceptualised film, which debates an important political sitution in the NE, letting the audience or the viewer interpret it and presented in a bipartisan manner, allowing the viewer to make the decison about these men.
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Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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