Thousand days and a Dream
Directed by: P Baburaj & C Saratchandran
A village that existed for hundreds of years sets the scene. Like in a fairy tale, they lived in harmony and plenty. In the year 2000, one of the largest multinational soft drink companies comes into the village, gives employment to 5000 villagers, and even provides them with free fertilizer for agriculture. Doesn’t it sound good? Yes it does. The people of Plachimada village in Kerala felt happy when this familiar branded company came to their village. Life was changing - new jobs, more money and development.
Within a year, villagers noticed that things were really changing around them. This time changes were not-so-happy ones. Rainfall had come down considerably. Well water turned salty and undrinkable. Agricultural land became barren. Water resources began to dry up. Time for realization! What else can you expect if 500 thousand litres of water was drawn every day from the limited ground and underground water resources? The villagers woke up to a bitter truth, that they were being exploited all those years. Their drinking water was being stolen and was sold back to them at a hefty price.
How can one sell you what you own? It might seem farfetched. But for the water hunters in the world, this is their daily bread. They take water from the earth, which is a property of the people, and sell it back to the same people at a price that is unheard of. Here is a bonus too. They pollute land, water and human bodies simultaneously. The amazing fact is that they get their raw material- water- freely! An extremely profitable business indeed!
The realization led to action. It is here, that we need a heart that understands. Lord Krishna could fight against Kaliyan, the serpent because Krishna was the Lord. David could fight against Goliath, the monster, since David was the anointed. The villagers in Plachimada were neither Lords nor anointed. They were Adivasis. They were daily labourers and agricultural workers and farmers and coolies. They were ordinary people. And their enemy, like Kaliyan and Goliath was a gigantic multinational corporation, The Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Ltd. Yet the villagers decided to fight. They had no choice, because they had no drinking water. W.H. Auden says, 'Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.' They couldn’t survive without water.
Thus a peace-loving agricultural community was pushed into agitation and silent struggle. As is unraveled in the documentary Thousand days and a Dream, history is created in that small village by ordinary peasant women, children and men. A struggle, inspired by a simple desire to save good water for future generations was launched against another struggle which was inspired by a complex greed to amass wealth. Money, good will of political system, social influence and media control was with Coca Cola. But villagers had simplicity of heart, purity of intention, strength of unity and a truthful cause to fight for.
Tears running down the cheeks of villagers- who sit at the protest meeting during the day and send their hungry children to bed at night- have a different story to narrate. It is a story of perseverance against the 'unbeatable,' hope against hope, life versus death. That is why Plachimada has grown beyond the geographical limits of the small village into a global movement. The imperialistic and capitalist ideologies imposed on people by the US led rich business class received its first set back at Plachimada. For the first time in Indian history, people proved that they are citizens of a democracy.
The documentary captures moments where democracy dances to the tune of Dollar bills. Courts, politicians and police 'were' for Coke, till the uprising became a popular movement. Leaders of the movement were offered money, houses and land to downplay the struggle. The documentary was able to deal with these aspects of the politics of neo-colonization and neo-capitalism.
Finally, it was made clear to the world that ordinary people like Mayilamma could make a difference. Plachimada is a people's struggle. It embodies our yearning for dignity. It signifies the longing of a generation to live in their homeland. It personifies the struggle of a people to make meaning. It is a fire that burns dehumanizing factors of the society. If this fire doesn’t kindle another hundred thousand little fires in our hearts, around us, villages and cities, this fire burns in vain. The documentary had to end. But the fire has to continue to burn.
