August
2003
The
Mahatma of Untouchables and Bombs Away—India
Goes Ballistic
Film Reviews by Catherine Clyne
|
|
|
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar directed by
Dr. Jabbar Patel (in English, 1999).
Until last winter, I’d never heard of Dr. Ambedkar. You may not
have heard of him either, so I’ve got the perfect remedy: Dr.
Jabbar Patel’s epic biographical film titled simply Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar.
Dr. Ambedkar was a contemporary of Mohandas Gandhi and fought for the
civil rights and dignity of India’s 70 million Dalits, the “untouchable”
caste. Dalit means “oppressed” and is the name untouchables
have chosen for themselves. I understood that Dalits were considered
pariahs, but I had no idea just how brutal everyday life is for them.
Traditional Hinduism teaches a worldview with rigid categories into
which people are born. You can’t shed your caste or switch to
another, or simply refuse to cooperate with such an oppressive system.
Thousands of years of Hinduism have integrated the caste system into
the social and cultural fabric of India, rendering a large part of
the
population unworthy of any rights or consideration. Dalits are perceived
as polluted, where in some cases only cow urine and feces can cleanse
whatthey have touched and contaminated.
An untouchable himself, Dr. Ambedkar had the extraordinary opportunity
to study in England and the U.S., earning a law degree and a Ph.D. in
economics. His experiences were similar to those of Gandhi when he studied
in Britain: the lofty democratic ideals of Western philosophy contradicted
by the racism of white, privileged students and teachers. Dr. Ambedkar
saw this hypocrisy and rejected it. He returned home with a greater
confidence and a new awareness, which eventually set in motion the Dalit
movement on the eve of Indian independence.
This film shows us a different side of Mohandas Gandhi, who, when negotiating
the formation of a new government, did not want to address the caste
system or the untouchables as a separate political issue. Dr. Ambedkar
disagreed. In representing the millions of Dalits, Dr. Ambedkar insisted
on their representation in government. At one of the most dramatic
moments,
Gandhi goes on a hunger strike to force the different parties to come
to an agreement. By demanding representation, Dr. Ambedkar is portrayed
as the obstacle and is blamed for Gandhi’s prolonged starvation.
Ambedkar wryly points out that Gandhi is responsible for his own life
and therefore his own death. This film gives a different and controversial
perspective of one of Gandhi’s most effective nonviolent tactics,
revealing how manipulative it was to use his life in the theater of
public opinion to shame his opposition into backing down.
If he couldn’t get Hinduism or Indian society to acknowledge
his humanity, Dr. Ambedkar decided to convert to a religion that was
more
compassionate and egalitarian. The film climaxes with the conversion
of thousands of Dalits to Buddhism en masse, which inspired millions
more to convert, an awesome revolutionary moment in Indian history
that
I was totally unaware of.
Pediatrician-turned filmmaker, Jabbar Patel took nine years to complete
this epic, which spans six decades, from 1901 to 1956, and convinced
Malayam superstar Mammooty to play the main role, which earned him
the
best actor award from the Indian equivalent of the Oscars. Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar is a riveting and educational bio-pic, as worthy of three
hours
of your time as Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. Watch, learn and
be inspired.
Although the State has outlawed discrimination against untouchables,
Indian society has yet to catch up. Today’s 160 million Dalits—one
in every six Indians—are still persecuted with little recourse.
They are usually forced to live in segregated housing and, if lucky
enough to gain employment, are limited to traditionally “unclean” jobs:
digging graves, butchering cows, cleaning latrines and sewers, etc.
To learn more about Dr. Ambedkar and the Dalit movement, see www.ambedkar.org
or visit the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights at www.dalits.org.
War and Peace directed by Anand Patwardhan (First Run/Icarus,
2002).
The subtitle to Stanley Kuberick’s satirical classic Dr.
Strangelove—How
I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb—came to mind
while watching War and Peace, Anand Patwardhan’s comprehensive
documentary of the history of atomic weapons and the growing nationalistic
furor spurring India’s creation and use of them.
A few years ago, I heard a report on NPR about the testing of a nuclear
bomb by the Indian government. I listened, incredulous, as a conservative
Hindu nationalist explained how Gandhi would approve of India’s
development of nuclear weapons. Of all the hair-brained things I’ve
heard… The rationale was that they would maintain peace in the
region, somewhat like the Cold War did. I seriously doubt the Mahatma
would smile upon (or even consider!) the use of bombs capable of instantly
vaporizing hundreds of thousands of people as a way to maintain peace.
If you don’t know much about the birth of the atomic era, War
and Peace is an excellent primer. There are revealing interviews
of scientists who secretly developed the first atomic bomb. The controversial
display of the Enola Gay (the plane that dropped the first bomb on Japan)
at the National Air and Space Museum is explained with first-hand accounts
from the curators, and the veterans who opposed it. They objected because
the exhibition told of the effects the bombs had on the Japanese victims,
who were civilians. One Hiroshima survivor makes a very moving pilgrimage
to India as an ambassador of peace and tearfully recounts his horrific
experience (a real no-no for Japanese, who usually try not to show emotions
publicly) to a shocked and silent audience.
The film shows chilling pogroms in India in support of the bomb. People
proudly say that India will no longer cow-tow to the West, and with
nukes the world will now respect India as a powerful nation. That the
test was conducted on the birthday of the Buddha was no irony and only
shows how religion is integrated into a terrifying political agenda.
When Satya recently asked what he’s doing now, Patwardhan
responded: “I am taking time off from filmmaking to travel around
the country doing screenings of War and Peace. The response is amazing—especially
from younger people in schools and colleges. Amongst adults too, there
is far more receptivity than I had hoped for. Obviously questioning
jingoism, reminding ourselves of the legacy of Gandhi, and warning
against
cheap imitation of militaristic America are a felt need.
“The development of weapons, the import of them, all this continues.
We have a huge task ahead if we are to undermine the circular illogic
of the deterrence theory which states that we must arm ourselves to
the teeth because we fear that others will do the same! It’s
sad to think that it needs a Mahatma to point out that unconditional
disarmament
is not only the ethical, but also the practical way to disarm others.
Universal demilitarization has to be the goal with tangible steps taken
on a regular basis. Yes there may be the rogue state or person who
hesitates
to reciprocate, and yet taking our chances on this is a far safer option
than to have Bushmania spread across the globe converting potential
friends into deadly enemies.
“In India the battle to preserve our secular identity continues
as politicians use the religious card for short term gain. Resistance
to this hijack is growing, imperceptibly, but surely.”
