Beyond the mandir-masjid debate, Ayodhya is also about its people and composite culture. And to highlight that, Awam Ka Cinema or cinema of the people, a film festival that highlights the composite culture of India, is being organised from 16-19 December in Ayodhya by some activists. The festival which aims to make people aware of issues prevalent in the society and the need for communal harmony enjoys the patronage of priests like Mahant Satyendra Das, who is the head priest of Ram Janaki temple near the disputed site of the now demolished Babri mosque in Ayodhya.
The festival is the brainchild of Shah Alam, a social activist, who has been living in the Ram Janaki temple and has documented details about lives of the freedom fighters who hailed from Ayodhya and nearby areas. “Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, etc are the heroes of the freedom struggle here. They not only fought for the Independence of the country, they espoused the composite ethos of our culture. Actually, this is the culture which is dominantly prevalent here but sadly, it is scarcely highlighted in the popular media. This festival is a tribute to the memories of such heroes and it disseminates the message of harmony and plurality,” Alam said. Alam is assisted by his comrades like Vivek Misra and Ravi Rawat. They say that despite some proposals from some political parties to fund their effort, they have managed funds for the event from donations by their friends and well wishers.
“We haven’t accepted a single rupee from any political party as it will compromise our independence and subdue our credibility among the masses. It’s purely a people-oriented festival and all and sundry are invited to attend. We will even organise our programmes in places like dharamshala and in jails so that the awam (locals) may have easy access to it,” said Rawat.
Alam said that around 500 people including some filmmakers, activists, academics from India and abroad are expected to descend on Ayodhya for the festival. Some filmmakers and activists who are expected at the festival are Kumud Ranjan, Ravi Buley, both documentary filmmakers; Rajeev Srivastava, an activist; Syed Zaigham Imam, a filmmaker; Anjana Saxena, a Kabir singer; Pranab Mukherjee, a solo theatre actor; and Suresh Soni, a former Chambal dacoit turned activist.