VILLUPURAM: Foundations of a society often materialise as part of the cultural subconsciousness of the people. The subcontinent is no stranger to the phenomenon, with the ugly spectre of caste and its essential irrationality haunting Indian modernity for the most part. An intense Dalit renaissance, including a sharp cognisance of the history of caste, witnessed by the Tamil popular culture may have had a direct impact across the state, but it isn’t enough.
“Although the issue of caste atrocities is alarmingly common across Tamil Nadu, very little attention is paid to incidents from northern districts, especially the towns near Chennai,” says Vasugi Bhaskar, director of the documentary ‘Melpathi’, which deals with a harrowing caste atrocity that happened in Villupuram this year. “In making ‘Melpathi’, I wanted to break this silence,” says Bhaskar, who managed to screen the film at the University of Gottingen, Berlin, recently.
In April 2023, Dalit residents of Melpathi were denied entry into the Draupathi Amman temple by caste Hindus. The 45-minute documentary covers the aftermath of the incident, which escalated quickly into a full-blown physical assault on those who dared to defy the discriminatory ban. The film follows the Dalit villagers’ demand for justice, that seem to fall on deaf ears, given none of those involved in the atrocity have been apprehended to date.
Bhaskar, who hails from Puducherry and is a resident of Villupuram, has been among the key voices calling out caste discrimination in the state. He deals primarily in writing and also heads Neelam, a monthly magazine run by Tamil filmmaker Pa Ranjith. His earliest memories of encountering caste come from his childhood spent at Karuvadikuppam in Puducherry, he says.
Bhaskar recalls, “Our street happened to be at the start of our village, and caste Hindus had to cross our street to reach their houses. So they created another path to circumvent us, excluding our street. It seemed quite strange to me at the time how caste Hindus seemed to pass by our street only during funeral processions and never during any holy or auspicious occasion. Though I never really understood what was going on, I felt very disturbed nonetheless.”
As an IT worker, Bhaskar’s perspective on Tamil literature changed drastically when he encountered Pa Ranjith’s debut film ‘Attakathi’ and his many social media posts advocating for a more bold, conscious approach to subalternity. Inspired, Bhaskar decided to represent his people, their lives and rich culture. Along with other like-minded people, Bhaskar began posting his writings online, which eventually led to his first book ‘Matramaiyai Utramaiyaakkida’ in 2018.
“This transformative journey began with Ranjith’s influence and has since evolved into a strong commitment towards narrating the many stories of my community and advocating for an equal society. I have been going down this path, for the past five years, and what happened in Melpathi deeply disturbed me. That something of this nature and magnitude continues to take place in 2023. I wanted to film the entire incident to preserve it as evidence and document it for future generations,” he says.
And so, Bhaskar and his team had set off to Melpathi to capture the aftermath of the incident, only to be stopped by police personnel deployed in the region due to the tense situation. “Police did not let us film any part of the village, especially the temple and the location where caste Hindus resided. They claimed our filming might incite further violence, but that was not the case. We simply aimed to expose the harsh reality of a small Indian village,” Bhaskar says. Amid such restrictions, the film was released on July 25 on YouTube.
“The screening at the University of Gottingen holds immense significance in taking the Melpathi caste atrocity to a global stage. By showing the documentary in Berlin, we hope to draw international attention to the systemic injustices faced by Dalits in India, and hopefully create a globe-spanning dialogue on the urgent need for change,” Bhaskar says, pointing to the fact that the Melpathi incident is not at all an isolated occurrence, but is a part of the larger issue of casteism across.
The screening at the University of Gottingen was attended by academicians, students and activists from diverse backgrounds. The audience also engaged in a post-screening discussion regarding caste, its dynamics and the associated violence with it, he says, adding that viewers also reflected on the documentary’s impact and the role of global communities in addressing caste-based injustices.
“Melpathi stands as a testament to the power of documentary filmmaking in raising awareness regarding social evils across national boundaries. We intend to position the Melpathi caste atrocity as a global concern, calling for international solidarity against caste-based discrimination,” says Bhaskar.
(Edited by Suriya B)