Court (2014) - Chaitanya Tamhane

 

Chaitanya Tamhane, born in 1987, is an Indian film maker and screen writer known for his deeply observational and socially relevant cinema.  His court (2014) is a Marathi-language courtroom drama that dissects the flaws and absurdities of the Indian Judicial system.  'Court' deals with the trial of Narayan Kamble a folk singer and activist, who is arrested on charges of abetment to suicide after one sewer's death in a water logged manhole due to the negligence of safety measures.  One of his performance was allegedly considered as the cause that forced the sewer to commit suicide, though it was an accidental death.  Thus, the 'Court' high lights the tedious bureaucratic nature of the legal process and the quiet oppression faced by marginalized communities.

Up against Bondage - Narendra Jhadhav

Narendra Jhadhav (b.1953) is an eminent Indian economist, writer and educationist known for his contributions to public policy and social justice. His, "Untouchables: My Family's Triumphant journey out of the caste system in Modern India", is a personal and historical account of his family's rise from extreme poverty and oppression. 'Up Against Bondage' is an excerpt, that deals with his father Damu, a mahar man, who was a Yeskar of Ozar village in 1930 performing menial tasks for upper caste officials. Moreover, it sheds light on the brutal realities of untouchability and the eventual defiance of Damu against the upper caste officials.  No doubt, the movement for social equality led by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, gave the courage to Damu like people to challenge the, then inhuman practices.