An old experience I shared in my Facebook Notes where most of my write ups find home
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Yesterday, my friend and i travelled 65 kms on bus, 40 kms crammed up in a jeep and then another 10 kms on foot to a small hamlet called Taraon. Well, the reason why we ruined our day off from the college by not resting at home was to shoot some portions of a documentary that we are working on child labour in this region. This is just an independent project and nothing to do with our college work. So we reached our destination Bal Vikas Ashram, although a little late in the day and not very sure of what we will be able to get there.
The staff and the sister in-charge were very helpful and explained in detail the working of the Ashram. We were introduced to the children who were mostly from the adjoining areas of Mirzapur district. Earlier they were held captive in dingy rooms by their bosses and had to work as bonded labourers for 14 hours a day. They said they liked this temporary shelter but missed their family. We ate our lunch with them. They wanted us to sit on the stool but we insisted on sitting with them on the ground. The food, although I should not say this, was simply inedible. Sorry again! I think they had served us half a kilo of boiled rice, half of which we returned so as not to waste but then I could not eat even half of the remaining. We were shown their classrooms, the rooms where they were taught carpentry and sewing.
In the end, they presented two songs, a short skit and danced to the instruments played by their 'gurujis'. They presented us with roses to thank us for visiting their place. As we had to return before we missed our last bus, I took permission to leave, upon which the caretaker or the 'guruji' asked us to share a few words. I don't know but I believe that never have I been able to make a speech with such ease, flawlessness and honesty. We thanked them for such warm hospitality.
From the moment I came out of the premises, what I remember is their sad eyes on their smiling faces. There are two questions looming inside my head- one about them and one about myself. What is in store for these kids when they come out of the Ashram, will their parents be able to teach them in a school and give them a better future or will they return to their old masters or someone who can buy them at a better price? And the other question- Although I am not too inclined to it but can I be a good journalist? The reason I asked myself the second question was that whenever I looked into their eyes, it felt like I was cheating on them. I think something is gravely wrong with this whole business of mass media, making documentaries and movies about those whom not only humans but even God seems to have forgotten.
India finds its name in three of the year's list of the hopefuls at the Oscars- Slumdog Millionaire, Smile Pinky and The Final Inch. They showcase the ultimate human spirit and how it can help us overcome the most difficult situations in our lives. May be one of them wins or let's hope that all of them win, their producers get fame, money and more projects. But were they able to make a change in the peoples' lives or was it just their job well done? Because then they would be no different from a joker at the circus whose sole purpose is to entertain you for that moment. Sadly enough, this is what this whole media business has become. They come to entertain you and get lost to come back with more of the same old crap (actually I meant to use a 'better word' for today's media which you can add in your comments). Actually their success rate substantiates the downward trend of our morality. When we cannot do something for them, we watch them on TV or visit the best multiplex of the town to peep into the lives of those who suffer. Why not watch Devdas or the latest Dev D to see the man drowning himself in the best of spirits. Will it change anything? No and so will watching a well made documentary or a film on poverty, some disease or the news of a farmer's suicide.
I can go on with this rant. I fear, one day, I will become a part of the great media circus. So I see myself in advertising and coax the ever sleeping mass into buying things they don't really need. This way I would save myself from a false notion of working for a noble cause. Moreover when my ad says "please buy this set of false teeth , I will try my level best that you buy it in your next shopping incursions even if your eldest sister's age is 14.
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Well this was few years ago, during my graduation to be precise. I still feel, media falls short of the real change and it can do better. However, after all these years, studying media and communication a little more, I feel there has to be a bridge between the change makers and the needy. The gap is filled by the media. We have to take chances. There may be someone who is stirred enough to act or talk. I take my words back. Documentary film makers are doing a great job and those who want to do it with genuine concern, should not think twice. I may well make one if I feel that I really need to tell this to the world.
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