dear friends
we are happy to share with you a selected list of resources to mark some days and dates to remember in August. You can order these resources from us via email, phone or a visit.
in the spirit of sharing,
Kriti team
August
6 Hiroshima
8 Global
Burma
9 Nagasaki Day / International Day of the
World’s Indigenous People
15 Indian Independence Day
30 International Day of Disappeared Persons
BOOKS
Indigenous Peoples in International Law
By
Benedict Kingsbury, published 2012
Contribution: Rs. 50/-
The development
of "indigenous peoples" as a significant concept in international
practice has not been accompanied by any general agreement as to its meaning,
nor even by agreement on a process by which its meaning might be established. One of the central questions in the current
controversy is whether the concept of "indigenous peoples" has any
application to people in the group of major Asian states whose governments deny
its relevance.
Jharkhand Movement: A Study of its Dynamics
By
Agapit Tirkey, published 2002
Contribution: Rs. 150/-
There
have been various kinds of movements to which tribes have been drawn in India.
These date from the advent of the British rule and administration to this date.
The movements have mainly revolved around issues such as forest, land, social
reform, social mobility, language/script, identity, displacement. The movements
for autonomy have been however few especially among tribes other than that of
the Northeast India. And the sustained movement for such objective has even
been rare. The Jharkhand movement spanning over many decades in this sense has
been an exception. This is not to deny that in the rebellions/revolts or
insurrection that the tribes had waged against the British, the aspect of
autonomy had been central. All the same of Jharkhand movement has been the only
autonomy movement worth the name in midland India. It is therefore not at all
surprising that it has received a great deal of attention among the scholars
and resreacher.
Indian People in the Struggle for Freedom: Five Essays
By
SAHMAT, Published 1998
Contribution: Rs. 70/-
This is a collection of
five very valuable and informative essays by most eminent historian renowned
all over the world. A fascinating analysis of the role of the Indian people in
he freedom struggle, from a range of noted writers including Irfan Habib, K.N.
Pannikar and Prabhat patnaik.
India Independent: Economics, Politics, Culture
By
Social Scienist/SAHMAT, Published 2007
Contribution: Rs. 100/-
2007 is
a year of many commemorations for India – it is celebrating 150 years since
1857 and 60 years of its independence. However, both 1857 and 1947 need to be
taken off the pedestal of mere landmarks in the history of the Indian nation
and revisited for their significance in the Indian people's struggle against
imperialism and colonialism. Recognising this significance of 2007 as an
important milestone in the nation's history, Social Scientist in association
with SAHMAT organised a three day conference between February 22 – 24, 2007
titled 'India Independent: Economics, Politics and Culture'.
The aim
of the conference was to examine aspects of India’s struggle for political
freedom, the strengths and weaknesses of the post-Independence nation-state,
the post-independence outcomes in terms of economic, political and social
development prior to and especially after the 1990s, and to define the
challenges facing India as a sovereign nation. Spanning three days, the
conference saw intense debates on the growing imperialist intervention in the
Indian polity, prevailing political challenges, the different trajectories of
development, issues of nationalism, communalism and the resistance to
these.
Nationalism
without a Nation in India
By
G. Aloysius, Published 1997
Contribution: Rs.335/-
This book is a hard-hitting sociological critique of India's
nationalist historiography. The National Movement is also examined critically.
Students of sociology, social anthropology, political science, and Indian history
will take an interest in this volume.
Police
Firing on Demonstrations in Garo Hills, Meghalaya: A Report
By
NEPI, Published 2006
Contribution: Rs.20/-
This state of Meghalaya was created in 1972 in response to
the demands of three major tribal communities – the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo –
for an autonomous political space within which the aspirations of all would be
better fulfilled. Over the, the discrepancies in level of development between
the Khasi-Jaintia hills and the Garo hills, a legacy of history, have perhaps
widened. This has fuelled a sense of grievance in the Garo community and led to
a deep sense of alienation between the two main cultural regions of Meghalaya.
Independent
Election Observers team report: J&K State Assembly Elections - 2002
By
J&K Coalition of Civil Society & Civil Society Initiatives, Published
2003
Contribution: Rs.50/-
A Complete, impartial, analytical, and Independent report on
the State Assembly held in Jammu &
Kashmir in 2002, under the militancy threat and unprecedented security.
Zindagi
Ke Geet: Krantikari Geetion Ka Sankalan (Hindi)
By
Sadre Alam, Published 2008
Contribution: Rs.40/-
This booklet is a collection of Hindi Songs on Kishan rights and Desh
Bhakti.
State Terrorism: Torture, Extra-judicial Killings and
Forced Disappearances in India
By
Grace Pelly (ed.) & Jai Singh (Coordinated.), Published 2008
Contribution: Rs. 250/-
Torture, extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances
are a daily reality in India. This report covers a wide range of situation in
which officials of the State-the police, the armed forces, security and
paramilitary forces, the railway policy force and Forest Department
officials-use violence and often deadly measures to intimidate and punish
citizens for a range of actual or perceived transgressions, crimes and beliefs.
Documentary
Films
Hiroshima
By BBC
(90 min, English, DVD), 2005
For reference views only
At 8.15am on 6 August 1945, the first atomic bomb was
dropped over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. A scientific, technological,
military and political gamble - the attack proved to be the defining moment of
the 20th Century. We witness the devastation.
The Prophecy
By Susumu
Hani (43 min, English, DVD), 1982
For reference views only
This is another film to come out of the “10 Foot
Movement,” edited by well-known director/activist Susumu Hani. The film
portrays the sorrow of atomic bomb survivors in the cold war period. Music by
Toru Takemitsu.
Burma
VJ
By
Anders Ostergaard & Lise-Lense Moller (84 min, English, DVD), 2009
For reference views only
Going beyond the occasional news clip from Burma, the
acclaimed filmmaker, Anders Østergaard, brings us close to the video
journalists who deliver the footage. Though risking torture and life in jail,
courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they
insist on keeping up the flow of news from their closed country despite rising
torture and life in jail. 'Joshua', age 27, is one of the young video journalists.
With Joshua as the psycological lens, the Burmese condition is made tangible to
a global audience so we can understand it, feel it, and smell it. The
Cooperative is proud to support the release of Burma VJ, which marks ten years
of its campaigning for democracy in Burma. There are many oppressive regimes
across the world; however Burma presents a combination of circumstances that
makes a compelling case for action. As such, and in line with the call from
democratically-elected representatives of the Burmese people, The Co-operative
does not trade with Burma. The Co-operative Travel has delisted the country as
a tourist destination, and The Co-operative Bank will not finance any
commercial organization with a significant presence in Burma.
Military Rule, People's Aspirations and Human rights in Burma
By
Khin Maung Latt (17 min, Latt
/ Burmese with English Subtitles, DVD)
Contribution:
Rs.250/-
To commemorate the 20th Anniversary
of People's Struggle (known as 8888 People's Movement) in Burma.
The Face
Contribution:
On request
IN THE FACE you
see a unique image of the most brutal dictator in the world - General Than Shwe
of the Burmees Military. The Face also remembers Win Ma Oo and Thet Win Aung
and the sacrifices of the students of Burma in their movement for freedom. The
Face is a tribute to the democracy movement in Burma and a criticism of India's
support to the Burmeses military.
This Prison Where I Live
By
Rex B loomstein (90 min, English, DVD), 2010
For reference views only
This is a film about two comedians. Maung Thura, better
known as Zarganar, is Burma’s greatest living comic. Relentlessly victmised by
the Burmese military junta, he is now in prison. Michael Mittermeier, in stark
contrast, is free to practice his art of humour and provocation as one of
Germany’s leading stand up comedians.
The genesis of this film begins in 2007, when Zarganar agreed to be
interviewed by the British documentary filmmaker, Rex Bloomstein, despite being
banned from all forms of artistic activity and talking to foreign media. Over
two days Bloomstein and his team interviewed Zarganar in depth in his flat,
showed the cinemas that are prevented from screening his films, the bookstalls
not allowed to sell his plays or poetry, and the makeshift TV studio where his
fellow comedians rehearse on a stage that he himself is forbidden to tread.
Footage which has never been seen or broadcast before…. Hearing of Zarganar’s fate and seeing the
footage, Michael Mittemeier Joined Rex Bloomstein in make a film about this man
who has paid such a price for speaking out against the regime. This Prison Where I Live is a feature
documentary and is the story of Michael’s exploration into the personality, the
motivation and the talent of the man who describes himself as the ‘loudspeaker’
for his people.
Agaria- The Sons of Fire
By Nandan Saxena (27
min, English, DVD), 1999
For reference views only
One of the world's oldest methods of iron smelting,
indigenous to India, has nearly been lost. AGARIA, an aboriginal community
inhabiting the mineral rich areas of Bihar who discovered this method have been
reduced to blacksmiths and paid workers.
Voices
from the Forest - India
By Rita Banerji, (32 min., English, DVD), 2007
For reference views only
All across India, Non-timber Forest Produce (NTFP) spell a
critical source of income for indigenous peoples and forest dwelling
communities. Not only do the NNTP's pay a crucial role in the livelihood of
these people, NNTP's are woven into the social and cultural fabric of these
communities living in India.
Gaon Choddab Nahi
By K.P. Sasi (8
min, Hindi, DVD), 2009
Contribution: On request
Inspired by a tribal song, this energetic upbeat film is a
clarion call to tribals to hold on to all that belongs to them. It urges
indigenous communities to unite and fight for forests, rivers and villages
where they have been living peacefully for centuries. Lively yet sarcastic, the
film underlines the great role of tribals in sustaining the greenery of Earth
even as ‘development' is leading to large scale pollution. It also critiques
the nexus between big businesses and political leaders that robs tribals of
their land, food and livelihoods. As the song goes, a collective struggle indeed
is the only way out.
In The Forest Hangs A Bridge
by Sanjay Kak (39 min., English
with subtitles, DVD), 1999
Contribution: Rs. 350.00
For
one week in the year, the people of Damro village, in the Siang Valley of
Arunachal Pradesh, gather to build a suspension bridge. This thousand foot long construction of cane
and bamboo is the stunning signature of the Adi tribe who inhabit these
forested hills. The film is an account of the construction of the bridge, an
evocation of the tribal community that makes it possible, and a reflection on
the strength -and fragility- of the idea of community.
Kora Rajee (The Land of the Diggers)
By Biju Toppo
and Meghnath (52 min., Hindi, DVD) 2004
Contribution: Rs.
250/-
It is indigenous people talking about themselves and their
ancestors, their migrations and exiles, their continued exploitation and
marginalisation. The filmmakers, who are Jharkhandis, place themselves and
their little boy in the film and there is no illusion of distance or staged
delicacy. This is a hard-hitting film that tells stories of the oppression and
impoverishment of a particular people over centuries. The film is complex and touches
upon many issues, ranging from labour migrations in the 19th century to
displacement and globalisation in the 21st century. It is a deeply moving film,
carried to its conclusion by folksongs that sing first of hope and then
increasingly, of sadness and loss. The loss is many-fold: loss of lands,
cultures, jobs, access to food and medicines and finally, to that ultimate loss
when one is no longer visible.
Jashn - E – Azadi
By Sanjay Kak (139
min., English, Urdu, Kashmiri with English Subtitles, DVD) 2007
Contribution: Rs. 400.00
It's 15th August, India's
Independence day, and the Indian flag ritually goes up in the heart of
Srinagar, Kashmir. But the empty streets and the sullen silence that greet
India's claim on Kashmir spark off old questions about freedom - azadi - and
the denial of freedom. In the aftermath of 18 years of armed struggle, with
60,000 dead and nearly 7,000 missing, death and loss is everywhere. As the
Kashmiri people begin to look within their ledger of loss, we slowly prise open
the meanings of Kashmir's struggle for Azaadi, freedom. Using a beguiling mix
of verite footage, rare archival material, poetry and text, this is a
provocative look at Indian democracy in the 60th year of India's independence,
and a reflection on power, resistance and "freedom's terrible
thirst".
Crossing the Lines…Kashmir, Pakistan, India
By Pervez
Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian (45 min., Hindi with English Subtitles, DVD) 2004
For reference viewing only
After four wars, Kashmiris and their land are divided
between Pakistan and India, the source of recurring crises. This path-breaking
independent documentary film, made in Pakistan, challenges us to look at
Kashmir with new eyes and to hope for a new way forward. Rejecting the national
ambitions of Kashmiris, Pakistanis and Indians alike, the film offers a vision
of a shared future for all of South Asia built on a common humanity.
Manipur
in the Shadow of AFSPA: Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958
By Ajay Bhardwaj (52 min., Manipuri, with English
subtitles, DVD) 2005
Contribution: Rs. 300.00
‘Manipur in the Shadow of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act
1958) is a documentary about the routine violence perpetrated by the Army in
the North East, particularly in Manipur, in the name of national security.
Highlighting the anguish of Manipuri people, the documentary puts the enactment
and misuse of AFSPA in a historical perspective and the extreme resentment by
the Manipuri people and civil society groups over the last five decades.
I am Waiting… Half Widows of the Kashmir
By APDP (39.39
min., English subtitles, DVD) 2005
For reference views only
In collaboration with Association of
Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), the Half-Widows project in Kashmir envisions to produce an animated
legal manual that will assist illiterate people to go through the legal
proceedings that will enable them to file reports on their missing relatives
and to take cases against militaries accountable for the disappearances of
their loved ones.
Kriti team - supporting grassroots groups, movements and organisations
through skills, services, resources, networking and solidarity!
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