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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 19, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| April 20, 2004 |
Documentary Filmmaker - Nuclear Nationalism – Anand Patwardhan |
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| Anand, with interpreter Nozomi, introducing issues from the nuclear arms race to social confrontation affecting India today |
For nearly thirty years, Anand Patwardhan has been making political documentaries on the diverse and controversial issues that are at the heart of social and political life in India. From housing rights of the urban poor, communal harmony, the environment, "un"sustainable development, movements against the Narmada Dam and nuclear testing in South Asia, his films seek to "document reality without a script."
After nearly two years of fighting the Indian government in court, Anand won the right to screen his award winning film, "War and Peace," without cutting the 21 scenes the censors had tried to edit. Filmed in India, Pakistan, Japan and the USA following the nuclear tests in Pokram, "War and Peace" celebrates peace activism in the face of global militarism and war, challenging the then government's policy of "might is right" in the tense standoff with nuclear neighbour, Pakistan. |
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Winning prizes at festivals in both Mumbai and Karachi, the reception of the film has shown that the ordinary people of both countries want peace and friendship, not the war and hate which various political groups have sought to inflame. On visits to Pakistan, it is the average home that Anand is invited into, not that of the ruling elite. In scenes at rallies in both countries, where speakers are whipping up religious and nationalistic fervour, the war mongering calls are frightening in their blind hate of an often imagined "enemy." Juxtaposing these dark images with a more positive visit to Pakistan, Anand meets and debates with a group of schoolgirls, already wise to the nationalistic rhetoric spouted to seek support for arms programs that cost billions of dollars in countries where not everyone has access to clean water.
Moving on from his treatment of home grown, flag waving jingoism, Anand focuses on how the aggressive policies of the US have become a role model for the ruling elite in both India and Pakistan, contending that the sub-continent's trajectory towards militarism could not be further from the peace loving ideals of Ghandi. From the plight of residents living near the nuclear test site to the appalling health effects of uranium mining on local indigenous population, "War and Peace" constantly shocks with its tale of two governments that seem to care little for their people. |
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When asked on what effect his films have had in bringing about social change, Anand spoke of the issue that inspired his first production. As a member of a civil liberties group that campaigned for all people to have the "right to housing," Anand was shocked into action when hearing that a site of temporary homes for the poor was to be bulldozed in an effort to "Beautify Bombay" for tourists. His subsequent film, narrated entirely by the voices of the displaced and those in power, moved a famous actress to join Anand in his demonstration hunger strike. After the mass media reported the protest and the plight of the homeless, the government was forced to provide alternative land.
Although it is positive news that India and Pakistan are playing cricket again, and that current conflicts are being settled with balls not bombs, the confrontation between the two countries' governments - not the people - remains. Seeking to clarify what the government, mass media, politicians or the ruling elite have clouded for their own interests, his award-winning work continues to highlight the humanitarian, environmental, local, and global reaching issues in India today. |
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