Documentary Film 'The Pulsating Hills'
Joys and sorrows of indigenous people
Kavita Charanji
Undulating hills, verdant forests, swift running rivers, joyous people lighting candles to pay obeisance to Buddha. All these elements go to comprise the rich culture of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. (CHT). But behind the curtain is the story of deprivation and marginalisation, deftly captured on film recently by Zhantu Chakma, editor and director of The Pulsating Hills. The focus in the documentary film is on children.Here are a few voices from the film, which recently won the Meena Children's Media Award instituted by Unicef: "I went to the hospital for my child's treatment. But I had no money and had to return without treatment. The doctor diagnosed malaria and typhoid."
-- Pari Pangkhowa, villager "In the rainy season, it is very difficult to get to school. However we are keen to continue our studies and sports."
--Donroe Mro, a student Health and education remain major concerns for the indigenous people. In the film, Kolpona Tripura points out that she gave birth to her child Gitain at the hands of a midwife. Doctors and hospitals are in far flung areas -- some could be as much as six hours away. Many people rely on the medical camps set up by NGOs but these are few and far between. “There are a few upazila health complexes but they don't have regular doctors. The doctors don't want to stay in those areas,” asserts filmmaker Zhantu. The lack of hygiene and safe drinking water lay these people low as many become victims of contagious diseases. Deplorable communication facilities are another scourge. Education is also top of the mind of these people. For one, there are few schools to cater to the needs of the hardcore poor. In the rainy season it becomes even more difficult for the children to negotiate the hazardous journey to their schools. "In CHT the education situation is not at all satisfactory," says Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, chairperson of the CHT Regional Council. There are few teachers for the populace. As Zhantu Chakma points out, in some remote areas the teachers come once a month to schools. True it would be easier to deploy teachers from the communities, he says, but the Mro and Kheyang communities don't have such teachers, while the Chakma, Tripura and Marma score higher on this front. The rural areas are particularly hard hit as many teachers can't communicate with their students and shun the alien lifestyle. Lack of cultural activity such as music, art competitions, and dance in the rural areas is also a bane for the indigenous children. While cultural organisations such as Shishu Academy have district- based programmes, there are no similar programmes at the upazila level. Despite this story of dire deprivation, The Pulsating Hills captures the scenic beauty and lifestyle of the resilient CHT people who remain joyous even in the face of adversity.
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