"The Die is Caste"
Directed by Mr. Ranjan Kamath
Duration of film: 83 minutes
Language: Hindi with English Subtitles
Mr. Ranjan Kamath, Director will be present to interact with the audience after the screening.
Date: Friday, 18th February, 2011 at 6.00 p.m.
Tea will be served at 5:30 pm
About the film:
‘The Die is Caste' is an appraisal of three decades of the Naxalite (extreme left) movement in the state of Bihar, in eastern India. It examines the role of Naxalites (e.g. Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninst) Liberation, People's War Group and Maoist Communist Centre) as agents of socio-political change, employing violence.
Against the backdrop of Parliamentary and Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar, between 1999-2001, the film portrays the change - over 30 years - in social and political status of the Scheduled Castes (i.e. the lower castes including the Dalits or "Untouchables"); the benefits accruing to the middle castes engineered by the Mandal Commission and the emergence of Laloo Yadav and the consequent violent backlash from the upper-caste landlord militias like the Ranvir Sena.
‘The Die is Caste' is thus an exploration of caste dynamics in Bihar and raises the question as to whether any benefit has accrued to the Schedule Castes or are they mere pawns on the political chessboard.
Excerpt from the documentary " The Die Is Caste"
Link to Video
Ranjan Kamath
Ranjan Kamath graduated with an ssociate degree from Trinity School of Music in London. He began working in Calcutta's theatre and music world soon after, both as an actor and stage/lighting designer. He then went on to work as an assistant director in Bombay on documentaries and short films.
He has completed his post-graduation from the London International Film School, with a distinction in Cinematography, and has been working as a producer and director/ cinematographer on Indian features, international co-productions and short features for the BBC, Channel Four, National Geography and others.
The common man of India is an unfortunate person. The Jihadi terror kills the common people with bombs in public places, his own government kills him/her by starvation with the huge corruption scams, incompetent governance & massive price rise.
ReplyDeleteBut the most unfortunate part is that even the self proclaimed revolutionaries are only known for derailing trains carrying the common man,blowing tracks,or attacking your avg common man including the poor/helpless policeman. Wouldn't it be great if they could be focusing their energies (in a peaceful manner) against a few corrupt individuals involved in hundreds of mega scams in India. Scamsters who roam fearlessly because the justice system is broken. A mere gesture of (peaceful) protest by these revolutionaries against these champions of corruption, grain hoarders etc would help improve their image in the eyes of common people, swell their ranks in no time without much effort or strategy because the common man is looking for a saviour..any saviour.
Even countries like Tunisia & Egypt could be liberated with the support of the common man. The security forces don't attack people seen on the side of the common man. All the common man wants is someone to stand up against these corrupt people.
But like I said India's common man is unfortunate with no saviour in site. Therefore I say down with this useless, pointless, jungle revolution.....please keep dying in jungles without much impact because you deserve it. If you had even little concern for the common man you would be helping her/him out in his fight against corruption. Within weeks or months India would be the next Egypt...but it's unfortunate!!!
India's brightest are killed by rampant corruption in the country but even more by the cowardice of so called revolutionaries who fail to step up and show some guts to stop it.
ReplyDeleteThese Jungle revolutionaries (i.e people who liberate jungles) live and die in Jungles while all the corrupt people live peacefully in the cities and the common man weeps in the cities thinking if only these fools could learn to fight a handful of corrupt people. Put fear in their hearts and remove it from the hearts of the common man. Down with such a useless jungle revolution!!
We prefer to continue to die at the hands of the fearless, brave and relentlessly corrupt people like the Kalmadis, A.Rajas and many others....but at the least we don't want people living in Jungles to claim they are fighting for us...are they really? where, in the jungles? fighting whom? Helpless security forces. What will they get out of that besides ill will of common man by killing our brave soldiers. If you are the sons of this soil...you would be fighting corruption and the corrupt in places where billions and trillions are looted..not in Jungles.
After we fight this battle on our own we will inform you in the jungles..then you can come out..be part of our success. Till then please stay safe there in jungles while we bleed and sacrifice to death in an effort to get back
To the person above...you jungle monkeys don't realize the struggle is only against handful of corrupt people. Put fear in their hearts, in doing so you get support of this entire nation. Once you take care of just a handful of corrupt in a peaceful manner then this nation will rise up and take care of the rest for now they know you will be there to watch their back....you will have support of the masses..they will put you on their heads and make you the new rulers...
ReplyDeleteInstead like jungle monkeys you are keeping yourself pinned down by the corrupt....who send armed forces to take care of you. If you had the common man on your side no security force would go after you...look at Egypt, Tunisia..when will you learn, grow up. Armed forces are not your enemy..they are helpless to take orders from the corrupt..But then you are monkeys who keep loosing this game by playing it by the rules of the corrupt...while the corrupt live fearlessly in cities ... you die in the jungles..maybe because you deserve it. Jungles were made for hiding.....not dying...
You have a very good site that the main thing a lot of interesting and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what is the guarantee that the communist system won't be corrupt like this system? there are so many people die during the independent struggle of india and look now what we have? what is the guarantee that we won't get the same with the communist system? right now we at least have to power to vote and free speech. so even if few people do corruption we can expose them, and remove them from power. but as long as I know the communist people believe in vote and free speech. example chaina & north korea. so if the communist system come we will see more corruption, and more restriction.
ReplyDeleteIndia is great with democracy. plz keep the communist system out of here.