IE : Film society for slum dwellers seeks to bring home lessons on harmony : Sept 12, 2007

Film society for slum dwellers seeks to bring home lessons on harmony

NEHA MADAAN
PUNE, SEPTEMBER 11

Initiated by PMC employees, unions and Lokayat, screenings are held every
Thursday
WHERE there is a will, there is away. This is ex­actly what Lokayat and Pune
Municipal Corporation (PMC) employees tried to imbibe among those who were
present at the documentary screening of Nata at the Shramik Office last
Thursday. The documentary por­trayed the making of a film called Dharavi,
based on the tenacity of two individuals, hell-bent on in­ducing peace in
their locality, post-Babri Masjid riots.

The spectators were all mem­bers of the nascent Film Society started
exclusively for slum dwellers - a joint initiative by Lokayat and PMC
employees. And that the efforts were in the right direction was amply
demon­strated at the end of the screening when one notion reigned supreme -
steps must be taken to dissipate fights and communal affrays in slums, the
active elements being the slum dwellers themselves.

"We have been screening docu­mentaries every Thursday to bet­ter the lot of
the people in slums. Even if a few render interest in the documentaries, we
can go a step further and screen such films in slums as well," asserts
Neeraj Jain, an active member of Lokayat.

"We are concentrating on simpler themes to enable clear compre­hension of
the issues at hand. And it would not just stop with the screening of the
films, a lucrative discussion would follow too," Jain adds.The screenings
take place at the Shramik office of PMC and there is no fee charged for the
membership or the viewing.

"This documentary was based on the relationships that exist be­tween the
slum dwellers and the external forces that mar these re­lationships, for
instance, riots. This documentary merely depicts the making of Dharavi and
how the two individuals, one being a Hindu and the other a Muslim,
or­ganised meetings to chalk out a plan for peace and fraternity," ex­plains
Alka Joshi, one of the founder members of Lokayat. The altruist endeavour
was borne out of a premise: A film like Nata can educate the inhabitants
about ways to mitigate fights in their lo­calities, communal as well as
those that rise within different commu­nities.

Post-screening, the enthusiasm among the audience was conspic­uous. The
spectators were more than willing to form groups in their areas to initiate
change. In addition to dealing with plans to diffuse communal riots, the
groups will also address issues like eve teasing and various ways to save
money. Vaijnath from Shra­van Dhara slum in Kothrud, says, "I want such
films to be shown in my locality so that a majority of us can imbibe the
valuable lesson. In­stead of only a few of us viewing the documentaries, all
of us should be watching them."
Another suggestion that did the rounds was the initiation of macro credit in
the slums.

Publication : IE; Section : Mumbai; Pg : 5; Date : 12/9/07