Byari
is the title of a film for all of you.
But to me, it is more than a film.
It is
the name of a section of people and their language as well.
They are a section
of people whose number may not cross even two
million.
This number is quite
insignificant in a country where we talk about
hundred millions of people.
And
in the vast expanse of India they are restricted to a few villages.
Making a
film in this language is out of question as there was no film
in its history
and they are religiously restricted in watching films.
So when the offer came I
was a bit amused and made a trip
to these villages.
The astonishment I have
seen in their eyes, especially in the eyes of
the women folk, gave me a feeling
that I should take up this challenge.
And I did it.
Of
course, I know that my film has aesthetic value.
But this film has more
political value than aesthetic I believe.
I hope you know that I am from
Kerala. A state that boasts of hundred percent literacy.
But how many of you
are aware that there are half-naked adivasis in Kerala?
And their struggle for
existence? Even Malayalam, my mother tongue, is alien to them.
This is a
question to all creative artists. Who are you taking sides with?
Whose stories
are you interested in?
How can one be politically correct in this chaotic tussle
of
marketization and hegemonizing powers?
We
are living in an era of linguicide.
Many languages of the world start
disappearing. Are we happy when languages disappear?
Can we forget the
in-fighting in India in the name of languages?
The Hindi-Tamil fight? The
Kannada movement? The Marathi issue?
If we fought for all these should we not
try to defend these minor languages like Byaari?
Language disappearance is the
disappearance of a culture,
the disappearance of a section of people.
The National Award given to my film
provided an opportunity for this people and their language to be discussed at
least in India. The media are aware now that such a language is there in India
and nearly two million people exist. They now slowly get news value. Their
celebrations, customs, deaths, accidents, violence, everything start getting
attention. If a film can do all these it has a message to my fellow film
makers. Turn your camera to the farthest corners of India, to the margins;
there you see life, life hitherto left unrecorded.
