India is practically an elderly democracy now, celebrating the 74th Independence Day. We must take a moment to remember all those who gave up their lives so that we could enjoy the freedom we enjoy today. But there’s more to our world than just this. We are connected to the peoples all across geographical boundaries in many different ways. Whether we like it or not, events on the other side of the world have an effect in ours. When they bleed, we bleed. When they rise up in celebration, we celebrate that humanity. This weekend, take time out to examine the price we pay for freedom we celebrate.
Not too far ago there was a small news item buried in the inside pages of our newspaper. Announcing the ignominious death of a dictator who had extreme agrarian ideas. A man who imprisoned and systematically killed anyone who wore glasses, spoke French and claimed to have had an education. I have seen Tuol Sleng and it is a living example of how inhuman we can be. Pol Pot died of a heart attack and malaria, but he has left behind kids who grew up haunted by war. First They Killed My Father is a memoir of how the Khmer Rouge ravaged a nation for ideology.
This is not The Killing Fields, and you may wonder why Angelina Jolie’s makes these directorial choices. But, this is a sobering look at how children can be haunted by war. Whether the war is out there or at home. From Cambodia, let us come back to India. We have had several wars and skirmishes with our neighbours since independence. But, the biggest wars we are fighting even today is with mindsets that refuse to budge from some bizarre patriarchal thinking conveniently supported by ancient texts written to ensure authority remains at the hands of the few.
A country where there were once warrior women (like Onake Obavva and Kittur Chennamma) and female philosophers (like Maitreyi and Gargi), a dramatised story of a female pilot is making online trolls foam at the mouth about supposed insults to manliness of the Indian Armed Forces. Those who believe in equality are few. When women were accepted in the Armed Forces, they were expected to be decoration, a PR exercise, not meant to be sent off to combat. A country that celebrates the need to have a brother to save and protect sisters will take time to accept female combat units. Pankaj Tripathi is shown to be that rare father who encourages his daughter’s dreams, "The plane does not care who is flying it. Man or woman, both are called pilots."
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl is a wonderful watch especially if you have daughters who dare to dream differently. Her struggle for freedom from the mindset of people is worth the watch. If nothing, it should just help you keep an open mind.
Speaking of open minds, I would want everyone to travel to Africa at least once in your lifetime. Not just to mark a tick that you saw the ‘big five’, not just because it is a visual treat to see the vast open spaces, and experience it. Every picture you take could turn you into a world class photographer. But, I am not sure how any camera can capture what your eyes can see: hundreds of miles of open space. You have to see it to understand how insignificant we are when compared to the vastness of nature. And, how we need to be able to preserve the magnificence of what you are seeing and all the people struggling to survive in it..
One of the films about this continent stands out because it tells you three stories, each one making you realise freedom is a fragile thing, whether it is for animals or for little kids.
The film Adu makes us hear home truths that we’ve avoided all our lives: ‘Everyone leaves... And, when we do storm the fences, it is a mess.’ How often do we go back to our roots? To our native land? And if we do get there, do we not behave like tourists? Have we told our kids that we grew up here… That we ran barefoot like wild things and that the red mud got into every pore of your skin as you fell off trees, reaching for unripe mangoes. Would they believe that once you were free of thoughts of repaying mortgages, and loans…
I loved this film called The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind because that little boy had to make his father believe in his ability to help his family. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a brilliant actor and he directs this wonderful film that helps us understand the power of community, what working together can achieve. Malawi was going through a horrendous drought and famine when this young lad was thrown out of school. He uses his brain and creates magic with the help of a book and lots of ingenuity. This film is about hope too. And, today more than ever, we need to have faith and hope.
This story of a 13-year-old boy and his Physics skills is like many stories coming out of rural India. Education has freed our minds and we are learning to innovate to not just survive, but thrive in these times.
If asked, most of us prefer to call ourselves citizens of the world. Born in India, traveled and lived across continents, we have adapted new customs and lifestyles that could help us live anywhere. So, when Barry wants to understand who he is, we are naturally drawn to his quest for identity. Devon Terrell is so uncannily similar to the man he will grow up to be, that should you watch this film not knowing who Barry is, you will mouth "I knew that!" or "I wondered why he looked so familiar!"
I am completely fascinated by American politics and to watch young Barry slowly find his footing, realise who he is, and what he is supposed to be in life is a fascinating watch especially because Ashley Judd is his mother! I was wholly charmed by this film and yet it will gently nudge you into understanding identity politics and the meaning of citizenship.
Freedom of expression is also something we must learn to cherish. I am asking you to see this documentary even if you have not read any of Joan Didion’s works. It will remind you of the notebook in which you first scribbled your thoughts and ideas and hopes...
The Center Will Not Hold is a fascinating account of a writer who was reporting the hippie world in 1967. These were adolescents mostly and their idea of freedom was to drift from one restless town to another, unable to belong. But, Joan was there to report this great enactment of Yeats’ poem, ‘The Second Coming’. Didion has shown how words can free you. Perhaps, like her, you will start writing your thoughts and ideas as well. Perhaps, no one will read your diary, but this documentary on one of America’s amazing, prolific writers is a gentle homage to a brave yet fragile woman.
Once the hippies believed in flower power, and soon the summer of love was over. Woodstock played on the weekend of August 15 many, many years ago. Music shaped protests then. Today, thousands are protesting against systemic racism across nations and making powerful men quake. The masks often seen on the streets are a reminder that V For Vendetta is not just a graphic novel that points to a scary, dystopian future. It is already here, if we are not alert enough to preserve our freedom.
Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication.
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