India: An evenng to remember the film maker Shubhradeep Chakravorty (New Delhi, 5 Sept)

An evening remembering Shubhradeep @ ISI (Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road New Delhi) on 5th September, 3.oopm

Dear Friends,

"Two hours and twenty seven minutes long En Dino Muzaffarnagar by Shubhradeep Chakravorty & Meera Chaudhary is going to be recorded in the history as the first documentary film banned under prime minister Modi. Gagging order came on 30th June. Today we applied in Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) for redressal of our grievances. We will not go down without a fight. Lets hope for the best…" - Shubhradeep Chakravorty on his facebook page on 30th July 2014.

Shubhradeep bid bye to all of us, as a result of a fatal brain hemorrhage that started its trail on 11th August 2014 and finally took his life at 7am on the 25th August 2014 at Delhi's AIIMS hospital.

Hope in the midst of crisis and courage amidst fear were the hallmark of the political activist, Shubhradeep - the journalist who turned to documentary filmmaking after Gujarat's one-sided communal carnage in 2002. His first documentary, 'Godhra Tak: The Terror Trail', screening at Ahmedabad in 2003 was attacked by the VHP who threatened him to quit film making. This incident only affirmed his resolve to get into full-time documentary film making. All his completed documentaries engaged broadly with the issues of communalism and fascism propagated by the right wing Hindutwa forces. Much before the very acclaimed feature film 'Shahid' hit the theatres, Shubradeep had documented the state involvement in the killing of the defense lawyer Shahid Azmi in terror related cases ('Out of Court Settlement') and his other documentary ('After the Storm') looked into the lives of the innocent Muslim youth who were jailed for years under terror cases, laws and later acquitted.

His life and work actually demonstrated a terrific taste for dissent and clarity about the role of a biased state. He honestly engaged in the journey for humanity's struggle for justice and peace. His associations with various social movements and human rights initiatives brought a different angle to the medium in which issues can be articulated. His presence will be definitely missed.

Shubhradeep and his partner Meera's new film En Dino Muzaffarnagar did not get the Censor Certificate and in the days that led to the fatal brain hemorrhage, Shubhradeep was overworked about the indirect ban by the Modi regime. It is evident from his midnight posts on social media that he was worked up. The state decision to curb his democratic right to dissent, in his case through his films, had definitely affected him very badly. The unfortunate outcome is that they managed to get more than what they thought… They got the film and the Director at one go...

As it stands, 'En Dino Muzaffarnagar', cannot be screened in a public spaces.

As comrades and co-travellers of Shubhradeep, his life and films should be celebrated in the days to come, by actually occupying the spaces which the right wing fascists are grabbing from all of us.

Delhi Solidarity Group is organizing a gathering to remember Shubhradeep. Kindly join us at 3pm on Friday, the 5th September 2014 at Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road New Delhi…

Delhi Solidarity Group

Contact - 9958797409, 9911528696