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Advocating
Peace and Democracy through Documentary Films in South Asia
A large number of our
contemporary problems of violence and intolerance occur due to a lack of
awareness about the diversity of cultures and views of the people and
places in south Asia. Our education system and upbringing allow many of us
to grow with a pride of our own cultural traditions and community values
without knowing about the existence of other cultures in our midst. Not
only that, we even end up mocking other cultures and people, considering
them 'foreign' or sometimes, inferior.
There is a need to expose
our younger generation to the diversity of cultures and modes of
lifestyles, as part of their process of education. Popular mass media,
especially films and television, have the potential to familiarize our
audiences with such diversity. Many filmmakers (past and present) have
made films which are being compiled by us to show in public places,
especially educational institutions. Here is a partial list which would
grow as new films come in. Filmmakers are requested to register their new
or old films that may be suitable for this enterprize.
 Basant
Directed by Yousuf Saeed (CEC/UGC,
New Delhi) 13 minutes, Hindustani/English, 1997
A
short film documenting a day in the life of Sufis and Qawwals at the tomb
of Nizamuddin, celebrating Basant (traditional spring). Screened at the Mumbai
International Film Festival (MIFF'98), and 6th International
Short Film Festival, Dhaka (Bangladesh) 1999. Also shown as part of
lectures at the Centre for South
Asia Studies, Berkeley University, at Harvard University, at Wolfson
College, Oxford, UK, and at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris.
More...
Mela
Basant Bahar
Directed by Samina Aslam (Eveready Pictures Pvt. Ltd., Karachi) 25
minutes, Karachi
. A
colourful film about the Basant celebration at Lahore, focusing on the
kite-flying events in Lahore and other Pakistani towns. Telecasted on PTV,
and participated at Film South Asia Festival, Kathmandu, Nepal, the
film also traces the history of kite flying.
Portraits
of Belonging: Bhai Mian
Directed by Samira Jain, 34 minutes, New Delhi, Hindustani, 1998
Portrait of a traditional kite-maker, Bhai Mian, from the old city of
Delhi, a man whose ordinariness barely conceals his imagination and
resilience.
Boojh
Sakey to Boojh: Amir Khusrau
Directed
by Iffat Fatima and Yousuf Saeed (Doordarshan, Delhi), 30
minutes, Urdu, 1997
. A
4-part series on the poetic and cultural legacy of 12th century
poet Amir Khusrau. The 4 episodes explore Khusrau’s Persian and Hindi
poetry, his association with the kings and with the Sufis, and the musical
traditions attributed to Khusrau and Hazrat Nizamuddin, the Chishti Sufi
saint of Delhi.
Diya
in the Dargah
Directed by Trisha Das, 30 minutes (PSBT, New Delhi) 2003
A film about a certain dargah (sufi shrine) in Baroda, Gujarat,
which is managed by a Brahmin, who is equally welcomed in his own Hindu
community as easily as amongst the Muslims. This film was shot after the
Gujarat carnage of 2002.
Ghalib
Directed and edited by Yousuf Saeed, 15 mins., Betacam (Sept.1998 CEC-UGC).
This short film introducing
the life and times of the Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib. The film uses Ghalib’s
poetry and letters to weave the story. (Language: Urdu/Hindustani)
Muharram
Directed and edited by Yousuf Saeed, 12 mins., Betacam, (May 1998 CEC-UGC)
. This short film is about a
passionate Muharram (a Muslim occasion) being observed by a small
community of Shias in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. The film participated in the
Mumbai International Film Festival, 2000.
A
Niche in the Lamp
Directed by Girish Karnad, 40 minutes (Films Division)
A documentary film that surveys the history and current state of
Sufi and Bhakti movements in India, depicting the living traditions of
both in various parts of India.
Indian
Muslims: Forging a New Identity
Directed by Sabia Khan Shastri, 26 minutes (PSBT, New Delhi) 2003
Talking to the youth among the Indian Muslims, this film discovers
a bright and forward looking generation who break the myth about Muslims
being backward, orthodox or sectarian.
Popular
Devotional Art of Indian Muslims
Slideshow-cum-Talk
by Yousuf Saeed
The contemporary religious posters and calendar art of India,
depicting Muslim themes, analyzing their content, focusing on the symbols
of multi-faith or composite culture, besides studying briefly the industry
that manufactures and sells them, the devotees who buy them, the milieu
where they are adorned, and the reverence they evoke. More...
Muslim
Devotional Narratives in the Popular Music Cassettes Industry
Talk with a demonstration of the soundtracks, by Yousuf Saeed
Musical narratives of folklore and myths on local Muslim saints are
available produced on audio cassettes and sold to the devotees. Its is
interesting to see how these stories which were so far part of the oral
tradition, have acquired new meanings with modern music, popular tunes and
synthesizers.
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