Film screening of "Borkhat" and Discussion
Date: Sat Jul 25, 2015 - Sat Jul 25, 2015
Location: Asian Confluence Centre, Shillong , Hosts: Asian Confluence
Location: Asian Confluence Centre, Shillong , Hosts: Asian Confluence
Asian Confluence hosted a film screening titled "Borkhat". Borkhat is a sequel to Prof. Lamare’s earlier film “Reliving the Past” which looks into the remnants of traditional sights of art, culture, transport and communications as a text to weave a complex narrative about the integral cultural and political history of the Jaintias, beyond the contingency of colonial cartography. It makes an attempt to trace the colonial route of yore between Jaintiapur and Nartiang, the summer captial of the Jaintia Raja. Prof. Lamare and his team recorded this journey in 2009 with single objective of capturing slices of history before time, nature, and human activities eradicated them forever.
The Myntdu River originated at Mihmyntdu, adjacent to Jowai town. This river flows across Jowai, and then through Leshka to reach Borkhat, where it is locally called the "Shari" in Bangladesh. Prof. Lamare captured his documentary much before National Green Tribunal (NGT) could take tough action on the coal mining in Meghalaya. Prof. Lamare begins with disclaimer that the documentary is strictly for creating awareness about the rapidly eroding evidence of past history. The documentary also captures interesting facets of the temple at Borkhat, the exquisitely carved interiors bear testimony to the human sacrifice that took place inside.
The screening was followed by a discussion between the director and the audience. Interacting with the audience, Prof. Lamare lamentedly said that "Jaintia Hills used to be famous for the fishes provided by river Myntdu. The ‘kha-syang’ or smoked fish was a delicacy that Jaintia people were proud of. Today most rivers poisoned by acid mine drainage, they have to depend on the fish from Andhra Pradesh which is depleted of all nutrients." This documentary is clear evidence of the destruction shaped by coal mining activities and provoked a heated discussion about the extent of pollution of the Myntdu River.
