By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 30 Jan: As part of its evolving calendar of events spread over book readings and discussions, music, documentary film, folk traditions & folk arts, history, social sciences, civic issues and technology, the Doon Library and Research Centre (DLRC) presented ‘Sanmati Sabha’ today with the screening of two documentary films on the inherently syncretic nature of India.
These were ‘Sab Lila Hai’ (63 mins) directed by Nirmal Chander; and ‘Sama: Muslim Mystic Music of India’ (52 mins) directed by Shazia Khan. These were screened at the Doon Library Auditorium. The screening celebrated the India that Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed his life for.
The films were provided by PSBT.
SAB LILA HAI (63 mins) directed by Nirmal Chander: About 20 kms from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh are two villages – Rudahi, where mainly Hindus live, and Bargadi, where predominantly Muslims live. Thousands have been killed in the name of Ram and Allah in India, but for the past forty years, against all odds, the Hindus and Muslims of these villages have together staged the annual Ram Lila, an epic depicting the life of Lord Ram, in which all the main roles are played by Muslims. Will the two committees be able to put aside their differences and preserve the tradition of the area?
SAMA: MUSLIM MYSTIC MUSIC OF INDIA (52 mins) directed by Shazia Khan: The film explores Islamic music traditions in India and their interactions with other traditions, to become a truly magnificent sound. It discovers that connection which allows the artist to become one with the creator and experience peace, calm, serenity and joy. The film also enables a glimpse into the open, universal human values of the music.
Nirmal Chander is an award-winning filmmaker who has been working for over two decades in the field of documentaries as producer, director, cinematographer, researcher, script writer and editor. His films Moti Bagh, Dreaming Taj Mahal, The Face Behind the Mask and Zikr Us Parivash Ka, among others, have been lauded for their humanistic approach and have travelled to many international film festivals. Nirmal also conducts workshops on filmmaking.
Shazia Khan is an award-winning filmmaker, working as director, cinematographer and producer, drawing upon her life experiences. Her internationally acclaimed and screened films Caravan, Salam India and Sama – Muslim Mystic Music of India, profoundly document the historical, ethnographic and spiritual coexistence of Muslims in the largest democracy of the world. Her work has been shown on several international channels such as Al Jazeera, BBC, Dutch TV, etc.
