"I do not know if India can be called a democracy anymore. Today, one can define democracy as a government of the privileged few, for the privileged few and by the privileged few,"- Former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde made this statement in 2011 commenting on the state of affairs in the country. In the movie Pada, based on real incidents of violation of Adivasi (indigenous) community rights on their own land, the narrative reminds us of the fact that India, has ALWAYS been a democracy for only a privileged few. For anyone without some privilege in the form of power, caste, religion, or money, it’s always been an uphill battle for their right to live and be treated as human beings.
Pada doesn’t require a review, for all the good
reasons. It’s a movie that each and every one of us must watch especially in
the times we live in. Also, the real incident the movie is based on
happened 26 years ago and nothing much has changed since then in the lives of
the Adivasi communities of this country. So, the review of the movie will be
short and it will be filled more with links to reading material and videos that
will give you the necessary understanding of the incident. It will also give an
insight into the facts as mentioned in the movie that, how through eviction and
neglect, the history of Adivasis continues to this day in India with no place
to call their own on the map.
From the atrocious and completely insensitive representation of the Adivasi (Indigenous) community in the Malayalam movie, Bamboo Boys (2002) to the irresponsible and total misrepresentation of the Dalit community and their battles in the recent movie Nayattu (2021), it’s a relief that Malayalam cinema chose to focus a realistic and sensitive lens on an incident pivotal to the indigenous community’s protest for their human rights. After Virus, an ensemble of versatile actors came together to tell a gripping tale of a real-life incident that shook the state of Kerala for 9 hours on October 4, 1996. Pada is also a cinematic example of how to build highly engaging and purely mass sequences from a completely realistic depiction of the story. Vinayakan, Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, and Joju George effectively carry the narrative on their shoulders with their acting prowess. While an elaborate ensemble cast including Prakash Raj to Kani Kusruthi excellently performed their small but impactful parts. Amidst the cast, Arjun Radhakrishnan who played the character of the collector stood out as he performed his role with utmost conviction.
Pada is based on the 1996 incident when four activists of the Ayyankali Pada (Ayyankali was a social reformer of Travancore of the early 1900s) held the then Palakkad District Collector WR Reddy hostage for nine hours in his office chamber.
Why did they stage such a hostage drama? – The infamous
1996 amendment of the 1975 Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer of
Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Act, which the state government
amended in favor of settlers and made all tribal land transactions up to 1986
valid. Tribal lands have been historically bought for throwaway prices or
illegally claimed by people in power, throwing the indigenous community out of
their own lands. The government’s unanimous support for this injustice with the
amendment of the act triggered the Adivasi community to revolt.
1975 Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer
of Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Act - https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/15581/1/full_page_photo_-_1975.pdf
The Amendment- https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_states/kerala/1999/1999KERALA12.pdf
You can watch the actual footage of the press meet
that the ‘Ayyankali Pada’ did with Asianet, the only existing satellite channel
in Kerala at that time in the link below;
https://youtu.be/gIlOhvoso7c
- Hostage Drama by Ayyankali Pada in 1996: Asianet News Archives Video
Following are other various media coverage of the
incident and the real-life Adivasi activists involved;
https://youtu.be/9AXCNaGrw-I
- Pada | Story Of Ayyankali Pada Hostage Drama- MediaOne
https://youtu.be/9RzB67aYk6s
- Hostage Drama by Ayyankali Pada | Vallathoru katha- Asianet News
Indigenous Community’s struggles in Kerala;
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234673941.pdf
- Land Alienation and Livelihood Problems of Scheduled Tribes in Kerala
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/the-land-betrayal-41596
- an extensive coverage on historic land betrayals
26 years since the incident and the struggle continues;
https://www.ritimo.org/The-Promised-Land-Adivasi-Land-Struggles-in-Kerala
- The Promised Land: Adivasi Land Struggles in Kerala
https://thewire.in/rights/fifteen-years-since-muthanga-incident-promise-land-keralas-adivasis-remains-unfulfilled
- Fifteen Years Since Muthanga, Promise of Land to Kerala’s Adivasis Remains
Unfulfilled
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/betrayed-wayanad-tribes-on-the-warpath/article30604811.ece
- Betrayed, Wayanad tribes on the warpath
Felt the whole write-up was a bit too scholarly? Well,
movies like Pada are not created merely for entertainment, at least for the
sensitive citizens of this country, it shouldn’t be. It is a reminder of
systematic injustice which continues in one form or other to date in our
country. Educating ourselves and being aware is the least we could do. In our deafening
silence as a country witnessing the atrocities against minorities and organized
looting of the nation, let’s hope movies like Pada remind us about the value
and necessity of protesting against injustice.
For those who still feel all this to be too much,
well,
“If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud.”
- Bhagath Singh.
P.S.: The links mentioned are from my limited
understanding and research of the incident and the community. There might be
much better and more extensive materials available, yet I hope this list gives you a
basic understanding and provokes you to read and think more.
Do watch the movie Pada on Amazon Prime Video.
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