Remembering Kurdi

Sans roots
zero memories
absent stories...

Gangubhai Kurdikar walks a mud track in Kurdi, perhaps to her Shiva temple; with daughter Kishori Amonkar sings a bhajan with a Kurdi crowd; some identify a few names in the crowd. Kurdi town in South Goa is no more. Her home is no more. Gangubhai Kurdikar is no more. Kishori Amonkar is no more. Salaulim Dam, some three decades ago, displaced more than five hundred families; they protested; they were resettled; in summers when waters dip, the unsettled flock to Kurdi to nest in memories. As one generation births another, there may be no memories. A gentleman settled in Mumbai talks of Kurdi to which his daughter is no relation; she was born after the dam, cannot imagine Kurdi. Director Saumyananda Sahi rolls the cameras over Kurdi under and above dam waters; Muslims, Christians and Hindus have little to quarrel about as all of theirs is below vast stretches of water, brought in by rains. men and women stand on shores trying to pin down  their homes; yes, that was my house; here was mine; a ration shop, a chukki, abandoned along with gods; cruelty of a marred love is mentioned and the camera hurries. A Films Division of India film; Sahi shoots facts; does not much trade in opinions; curated by Tatasky. The one hour film left me a bit frozen; at least some 500 families got settled; at Tehri and Narmada, humans have been plucked from their homes, dumped on contractors and agents. Yes, the Salaulim Dam has helped some get water; we agree, says a displaced resident; but ....  Perhaps, Development or Vikas with broken tails and tales of cruelty, may be necessary; is there no humane alternative. How long can we live without stories? Bhils in Madhya Pradesh still seem to have stories. A drought; villagers go to the soothsayer for relief; he is drunk and driven; they paint their homes with trees; thats what they know; rains come. Hum Chitr Banate Hain is a short animation film by Prof. Nina Sabnani with Sher Singh Bhil, an artist. Painting stories on walls is a wall art; it needs villages, homes, stories; when Smart Cities come, India will turn dry. A country is known by stories. India has lots. Will it be so 50 years away?