Shriprakash

Shriprakash (born 23 December 1966) is an Indian activist and independent documentary filmmaker.

Shriprakash was born on 23 December 1966 from a family of farmers in the state of Bihar, in an area that in 2000 became a separate state called Jharkhand. He graduated in Science and Journalism from Ranchi University and soon became interested in video as an activist medium. With his films he has attempted to capture the struggles and aspirations of indigenous local communities in Bihar and Jharkhand, and to give them a voice. "I do not impose my views," he explains. "I am only the instrument that takes the camera to the place of struggle. It's the people participating in the struggle who actually make the film. They live out their lives and voice their concerns in their own words. I only record."

Shriprakash has directed and produced many documentary films during the last 15 years. He is also the chief co-ordinator of Kritika, a group working in the Jharkhand region since 1990 in the areas of culture and communication. He only uses his first name as a protest for the Indian caste system, which discriminates depending on the caste one belongs to, since family names in India indicate the caste of the family.

Length: 57 min.
Original language: Hindi and Santhali
Synopsis: A film about the socio-political, ecological impact of the 150-year-old Indian coal industry in the Jharkhand region.
Synopsis from Indymedia India: Circa 1775 the first coal mine was blasted in the Raniganj area. The indigenous people owned this coal rich land till the British dispossessed them. Since the 19th century, specially the World Wars and after, the railways were introduced and large-scale coal extraction began. These mine were owned by the private parties, who were engaged by ruthless exploiting the nature /human resource. Then came our tryst with destiny, and the story counties without any twist. 25 years after the independence- the Coal industry was nationalised and the situation worsened as the Mafia and corrupt bureaucrat ushered in an era of violent culture. Today, while approximately Rs. 10 billion goes to the government as royalty from the black diamond, four to five thousand crores is siphoned away as black money from the coal industry. The people, who owned these lands, are left to languish as no one talks about their plight. No rehabilitation, no compensation, no jobs. River Damodar is the most polluted river today. The open mine literally on fire; there is no water and the land has turned totally infertile. From being owners of land the indigenous people are forced to turn into coal stealers in the eyes of the law. The Fire Within draws a painful portrait of the transformation of the land of the Tana Bhagats; a sect of the oraon tribe who were believers of non-violence and Ganghian philosophy to a land witnessing violent Naxalite movement today. At the same time it talks about the mafia, corruption, the energy politics, – how a peaceful area is declared a disturbed area. Now the whole area is under control of under ground Maoist gorilla groups. The land of the Tana Bhagats, a peaceful sect of the Oraon tribe who follow a Gandhian lifestyle and philosophy, is today besieged by Naxalite violence. In tracing the impact of the underground Maoist guerrillas, the film touches upon corruption, the mafia, energy politics and displacement of villages, and tribal identity in an area where coal has been mined for the last 150 years.
Awards: Best Film Award, XVIII Black International Cinema, 2003. Grand Jury Award, Film South Asia ’03. Special Jury Mention, Earth-Vision Film Festival 2002 Film Festival in Asian Social Forum, 2003, Hyderabad 9th Energy Film Festival, Lausanne, 2003 Documentary Film Festival, Istanbul, 2003

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