January 31, 2012
This morning, I saw the strongest, boldest, most courageous woman I have ever seen in my life. A phenomenal spirit in a frail, five feet frame! A documentary on the life of her little family titled 'Positive Frames' was screened for the public at the Kalabhavan Theater.
The DVD was released by advocate K.J.Joseph, the district panchayat member of Kannur handing over copies to prominent journalist Parvati and the heroes for the day, the family! Because of the one-week official mourning for the governor's passing, there wasn't much of an official ceremony.
Mr. Joseph remembered the day, 9 years ago, when a few angry young men rushed into the Kottiyur village panchayat meeting asking the panchayat to take up the matter of the neglect and inhuman treatment meted out by the community to Rema and her children. Joseph rushed to their home but even the car driver refused to come close to the house. Rema and her children had tested tested HIV positive. Her husband Shaji had died. He wasn't even allowed a proper burial. The community shunned the family. Joseph and a few volunteers found the young family surviving just on water for close to three days. People refused to even sell them food. This was Kerala, the most literate state in India, in 2003!
Despite the Panchayat level interference, both the children were expelled from their school. Other parents did not want to make their kids "guinea pigs"! What if AIDS spread by the mere presence of these positive kids in the class? Rema in the documentary says she contemplated suicide. Her daughter talked her out of it pleading with her never to poison them because they wanted to live as long as possible. Thus began Rema's determined struggle against an entire ignorant, vulgar, adamant and inhuman society in the little village of Kottiyur, famous for its Shiva temple called Dakshina Kashi. She wrote to the then chief minister and president to get her children readmitted into the school. The school authorities were willing to teach them, but in a separate isolated classroom. Media took up the issue.
The strongest gesture of solidarity, sort of a game changer, came from the actor, Bharat Suresh Gopi. On behalf of many NGOs that were helping this family, he visited Kottiyur. He walked into the school carrying little Ananthu and Akshara on his shoulders. Thousands had gathered to see the film star. Visuals of him with the kids were repeat telecast on the different channels. The impact was tremendous.
More NGOs and individuals rushed in with help. Rema volunteered to work for NGOs to help other socially stigmatized and terminally ill victims. It has been 9 years. She is still going strong. Ananthu is a little young man now. Akshara is a talented teenager. She won the award from best child director from the state government last year for her short film "study tour". Both of them now have plenty of friends in school. Akshara says her friends and their parents do invite her to their homes these days but she doesn't feel like going because she still remembers how the society once treated them. Kottiyur village is a much more friendly place for the family today.
Kalabhavan theater was nearly full for the first screening. Though a few organizations had supplied their volunteers to be part of the audience, there were easily over a couple of hundred walk-ins like me. Owing to my 'Makaramanju' experience last week, this time I sat in the lower green circle right from the beginning. A bunch of young men with backpacks sat in the row behind me. I turned and asked them whether they were students. The first guy asked his friend to answer me as if he didn't know. Strange behavior indeed! "Kendra police, anna," (Central police, brother) he said.
The 38 minute documentary received a great ovation at the end. Not much of the usual cellphone disturbance during the show. But there were a handful of little brown mallu Obamas and Merkels who cannot afford to be cut off from their world even for 38 minutes.
The script and narration were a little too dramatic initially probably because the writer, Venu Muttacaud, works for the sensationally bend Manorama newspaper. This documentary is the third production of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Social Vision. Kudos to director Anil Kumar for capturing this episode of social progress and inspiring tale of the magnificent human spirit.
"Positive Frames" Trailer
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