Green Yet Barren

Harpreet Kaur,who lives in the US,but is a Punjabi by nature and birth,was shocked to learn that the maximum number of farmers suicides had been reported from Punjab

Written by Jaskiran Kapoor

March 13, 2011 02:06 AM IST

3 min read

Filmmaker Harpreet Kaurs documentary on farmers suicides in Punjab underlines the dark side of the green state

Harpreet Kaur,who lives in the US,but is a Punjabi by nature and birth,was shocked to learn that the maximum number of farmers suicides had been reported from Punjab,followed by Andhra Pradesh,Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Karnataka and Kerala. The figures not only left Kaur appalled,but they propelled her into action. She began documenting the tragedies in her home state and the result is a moving and important documentary of our times,titled A Little Revolution A Story of Suicides & Dreams,produced by Sach Productions,owned by Manmeet Singh.

Every 32-minutes,a farmer commits suicide in India. According to The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data from 2009,more than 2,16,000 farmers killed themselves between 1997 and 2009. The number was 1,50,000 in 2005 and it has crossed 2,50,000 now. The irony is that it is taking place in the most progressive states of India, says Kaur,who is presently in Chandigarh for the Punjab premiere of her film. Her first film,The Widow Colony,had also made a strong impact. Narrating the plight of the widows of the 1984 riots in Punjab,the movie won her critical acclaim at film festivals and was the first Sikh film to be shown at the UK Parliament. Following this,Jagdish Tytlers visa was rejected to the UK, recalls Kaur.

With A Little Revolution (Ek Nikki Kranti),Kaur has travelled back to to her roots,in search of the children of farmers who killed themselves. I came to India two years back,to research the history of human rights and stumbled upon these figures. Its the worst form of violence,economic violence. Unfortunately,the government has failed to address it, says Kaur.

The film documents the lives of a generation of children who are poor,powerless and deprived of hope,education and family. The camera zooms into homes in Sangrur,Punjab. With the breadwinners gone,the families are dependent on Baba Nanak Education Society,run by Inderjit Singh Jaijee. The film is dedicated to his daughter,Aman Sidhu,who single-handedly researched and documented the data by making more than 1,800 visits to villages in Punjab. Unfortunately,she died in a car crash during one of the trips, says Kaur.

Filmed over a period of two years,Kaur and Singh,hope to create an impact with the documentary. We want to empower the children and give them the confidence to fight and break this vicious cycle of suicides, says Kaur,who focuses on four children Jasvir,Manpreet,Sher and Salma. She travels with them to villages and to Delhi,where they met the Union Minister of Agriculture,Sharad Pawar. As a result,Rs one lakh each was given to their families, reveal Kaur and Singh.

The green revolution,with its sops and subsidies,has led to debt-driven suicides, says Kaur,who has worked with Singh to design the campaign Every Farmer Counts and Every Child Dreams. The duo hope that the film leads to international intervention,aimed at tackling the crisis. The film would take these villages and families to people across the world, says Kaur.

For more information,log on to http://www.alittlerevolution.com.