This film represents the struggles faced by people suffering from drought in Maharashtra. It also addresses governmental relief interventions such as the Employment Guarantee Scheme and Fodder Camps. The film was made as a campaign aid to generate awareness and to initiate policy level efforts for drought mitigation. 42 mins, Marathi versions,Subtitle Enlgish, 2003, Direction by Pankajkumar Bedi and Sampat Kale.
The film addresses the Barber’s issue in Orissa, India. The Barber community, as the lowest caste in the Indian social structure, still faces the social discrimination on all levels of society. The film presents the voices of the Barber people, as they advocate against their repressiveness in India. It is a story of struggle and suffering, situated in the context of age-old discriminatory practices still present in modern India.
This documentary tells the story of the Hawker workers of Pune, a city in Maharashtra in Western India. These people have migrated from their native villages in order to earn a decent living in the city. Yet, even in urban areas, employment is difficult to attain and migrants barely earn enough money to make ends meet. They work long and hard days, but are easy targets of the police and the Pune Municipal Corporation, who try to prevent them from making a decent living. This film captures their struggles to work on the roadsides and to lead a dignified life.
वनधिकार मान्यता कानून २००६’ को पारित हुए चार साल हो गये लेकिन आज भी वे लोग इस कानून की जानकारी से वंचित है जिन्हें सही मायने में इस कानून की ज़रुरत है। इसी ज़रुरत को ध्यान में रखते हुए सरल भाषा में इस बोलती पुस्तिका का निर्माण किया गया है। सामुदायिक वनाधिकारों के दावे किस प्रकार दाखिल किये जाऍ यही यह पुस्तिका बताती है।
The Forest Rights Act was passed in 2006, yet tribals and forest dwellers remain unaware of the rights provided to them under this act. This film provides the necessary knowledge regarding the act and how to file community claims over forest lands and resources.
Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are an increasingly controversial topic in India and throughout the developing world. In the long term, this policy will badly affect the Indian economy and have harmful consequences on national politics. This documentary film examines the claims make by the government and private companies in support of SEZ. It also tells the story of the people affected by the SEZ. Through interviews with social activists and professional experts, this documentary explores the nature of SEZ and their effect on local communities.
India possesses an array of committed social activists working with various sections of marginalized communities such as dalits, tribals, women, children, minorities, and unorganized workers. They have used different components of advocacy – spanning from media documentation to judicial intervention – in order to creatively assert for people’s rights. This documentary draws upon the experiences of social activists who have been engaged in advocacy, bringing together the perspectives and practices of social justice activists throughout India. The documentary develops an understanding of advocacy – its forms and strategies – in order to initiate a discussion on the idea of ‘People Centred Advocacy’.
People all over the country have begun to realise that they need to unite and raise their voice together so as to be able to fight for their rights. This film shows one such initiative where the people are fighting for gaining access to their rights and the request that the activists make that everyone should get involved and should not refrain from joining any movements as only when the numbers are large the impact of the protest would be far reaching and long lasting and just participation and involvement is enough to make a protest successful and impactful.
A film on forest rights movements in India- towards establishing community forest governance.
महात्मा गांधी ने कहा, “राजनीतिक स्वतंत्रता तो सच्ची स्वतंत्रता की ओर महज़ एक कदम भर है। अगला कदम ज़मीन जोतने वाले लोगों को ज़मीन का मालिकाना हक़ दिलाना होगा।“ तेज़ी से हो रहे भूमण्ड़लीकरण के इस युग में गांधीजी के ये वचन स्वतंत्रता पूर्व कर भारत की तुलना में आज ओर भी ज़्यादा प्रासंगिक है। एक प्रभावी भूमि सुधार से लाखों भारतीयों के रोजगार तथा खाद्य सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित की जा सकती है, जिसके लिए एकता परिषद जन दबाव के माध्यम से लगातार संघर्ष कर रहा है। हमें एसमें सबका सहयोग चाहिए। जनादेश २००७ में शामिल होइए।
This film is an attempt to advocate for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. It aims to strengthen the movement for the Implementation of NREGA and the Right to Work by giving insights into Maharashtra’s effective implementation of the Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Forests dwellers from all over the country are facing the threat of forced eviction from their lands. Between 2002 and 2004 about 3 lakh tribal families were evicted based on a MoEF order passed on 3rd May, 2002. This film is based on the eviction of Adivasis from the forest of Burahanpur, a district in south Madhya Pradesh. This film looks at two aspects of the issue, one being the misinterpretation of the law by the state and the other being the brutality, force and coercion used by the Forest officials in evicting People.
Maharashtra State Government had decided to “Shanghaise” the city of Mumbai for which the slums in the city were run down in December 2004 to June 2005, the residents of these slums were expected to receive proper houses were left shelter less and helpless. This film tries to document peoples struggle for their rights and most importantly the struggle to survive amidst threats to their lives by the rich and powerful in the city.
