WAITING FOR A STORM # 234
09:00, Wednesday 17th June, Cinema 2
Director/Anthropologist: Prachi Mokashi, Anjali Monteiro, K.P.Jayasankar, Tata Institute of Social Science
Year of Release: 2014
Duration: 35 mins
Country of Production: India
Location: West Bengal and North East India
Language: Bengali, Hindi and English with English subtitles
The chars of the Brahmaputra are a curious geographical feature of the river - they are small, temporary land masses, almost like islands, that appear and disappear seasonally due to erosion. They are also places that many immigrant communities of Assam call home. They farm on the transient land masses and raise their families there as well. Waiting For A Storm explores this ephemeral relationship between the chars and their residents through the prism of two different subjects - Amjad Ali, a farmer who lives on such a char and Sahjahan Hussain, a young activist from the mainland who is working for land rights of the char dwellers. Through their voices the film navigates questions of identity and reform. And as their paths converge, Amjad and Sahjahan's future remains as uncertain as the receding landscape surrounding them.
