Manipur Song out of tune with realities, says audience

The documentary film Manipur Song produced by Pankaj Butalia, which was screened at the India International Centre, drew a packed house, but little empathy from the audience.

Sanjay Kumar

New Delhi, Sep.11 : The documentary film "Manipur Song" produced by Pankaj Butalia, which was screened at the India International Centre, drew a packed house, but little empathy from the audience.

The documentary dealt with the misuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act by the security forces in the North Eastern States of the country, particularly in Manipur.

Majority of the audience comprised people from the north eastern region. Many of them had to leave the different states because of clashes between militants and Security Forces to pursue their studies in the national capital.

Many felt that the hour-long film did not correctly portray the ground realities.

The administration in the north-eastern States had become ineffective because of militancy. The gun has become the de-facto power. Manipur has over twenty militant groups of different hues. They clash with each other every other day and also clash with the security forces.

The State administration takes the assistance of the security forces. At times the response is brutal, and the impression is that extra-judicial methods are resorted to.

"Manipur Song" attempts to explain the situation prevailing in the region, the difficulties experienced by the ordinary citizens every day. The documentary is critical of the Armed Forces Special Power Act.

But there were not many takers in the audience to the demand for the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

"I think it (AFSPA) should stay there because a parallel government is running there. The AFSPA is negative, but to an extent it is helpful" said Geetha, a Manipuri research scholar from JNU.

Post screening, Director Pankaj Butalia faced a barrage of questions on insurgency, running of the parallel government by the underground groups and how the insurgency has taken over the state for ransom.

Radha Payari, a Maniupri research scholar, said: "The movie is lopsided. It shows only one side of the problem. We are facing the problems created by the militants like extortion and kidnapping of people. The insurgents have their own Army and commandos too."

Anil Sharma, a Manipuri expatriate working in West Asia, said: "There is lot of unemployment problem. I felt like running away from the place. You can't stay there. Even during vacation, one finds it gets difficult to stay over two or three days. You feel like going to places where there is life."

The director, Pankaj Butalia, said that the objective of the film was to make people from the mainland aware of the situation in the north-east. "I want to tell them what is going on there which seeks their engagement. They can't live in ignorance ", he said.

In his late fifties, Pankaj Butalia taught economic in the Delhi University, before taking to film-making. At the university he launched the society called 'Celluloid'. He later became the Secretary of the Film Society of India.

One of the noted documentaries produced by him was Moksha (Salvation) which dealt with the plight of Bengali widows, in Vrindavan. He also produced a documentary on the post-partition situation in Delhi. Pankaj was able to open the door for his viewers to see the situation in the north east, but was unable to convince the audience from the region, who had to seek a home elsewhere in the country as the State was being held to ransom by several underground groups. They felt that he should have touched other important issues troubling the State.

ANI