While far-right Hindu political groups and parties have used and distorted religion in India, this film gives a voice to Hindu religious leaders who have opposed the destruction of the Babri Masjid and the agitation to build a Hindu temple in its place. Travelling through the countryside from Ayodhya to Varanasi the film also highlights the existence of a culture shared by Hindus and Muslims in the region.
This film looks at the violence which engulfed Gujarat in March 2002 in which more than 2,000 women, children and men were brutally massacred, and many thousands more saw their families, homes and livelihoods destroyed. Using the events in villages and towns where the violence took place as a starting point, the film exposes the role of the Indian diaspora in promoting the genocide. It also shows why Gujarat with its skewered economic growth, high unemployment, the mood of despair among working people and caste discrimination is a fertile ground for divisive ideologies. The film examines the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) the ideological core of the family of Hindu fascist organisations, the Sangh Parivar, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the present political scenario. The film also talks to prominent religious leaders (mahants) in the VHP and explores their ideas of democracy, Hindu Rashtra, the constitution, and the status of "lower caste" communities. At the same time, it explores the very different perspectives on the same issues from trade unionists, human rights lawyers and other activists, specialists and ordinary citizens. The film with its warning of "Gujarat today, India tomorrow" sends out an urgent call for action against the growth of fascism in India.
'Discussion'
Introduction: Jak Milroy
Guest Speakers: South Asia Solidarity