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By:

Shoma A. Chatterji

21 August 2024 at 4:19:40 pm

Childhood for Sale

Khilawadi, a short fiction film directed by the young and sprightly Shobhita Thakur, alumnus of the FTII, Pune, is making news wherever the film is being screened. Why? The subject of the film is shocking in its inhuman brutality. Through a brief but powerful narrative, the film tells the story of the 12-year-old Sapna who is good in studies and dreams of becoming a doctor one day. The term “Khilawadi” is a locally used word associated with the Banchada community in Western Madhya Pradesh,...

Childhood for Sale

Khilawadi, a short fiction film directed by the young and sprightly Shobhita Thakur, alumnus of the FTII, Pune, is making news wherever the film is being screened. Why? The subject of the film is shocking in its inhuman brutality. Through a brief but powerful narrative, the film tells the story of the 12-year-old Sapna who is good in studies and dreams of becoming a doctor one day. The term “Khilawadi” is a locally used word associated with the Banchada community in Western Madhya Pradesh, particularly in the Neemuch-Mandsaur region. The word is believed to have evolved within the local dialects as a descriptive label for women employed in sex work, especially those living along or near major highways. Over time, strangely, the changes in social customs, in media technology, in traditional rituals, have not affected the age-old custom of putting daughters to prostitution the minute they reach puberty. Therefore, the term “khilawadi” has become an informal, locally used word associated with the Banchada community used rather pejoratively to refer to girls or women from the community who engage in highway-based prostitution, a practice historically linked to complex socio-economic and caste-based circumstances within the region. The term carries social stigma and reflects structural inequalities faced by the Banchada community. “We could not shoot in the actual location because we were told that it would be dangerous for the team to shoot there. So, we shot several kilometers away at a different location to keep the rural spirit of the topic intact. As a woman filmmaker and an artist, I feel compelled to tell this story of unimaginable suffering and exploitation of young girls. This film is not just a reflection of their pain, but a call for social change, urging society to recognize and address this persistent injustice,” says the director. The film uses a raw, unembellished cinematic style that highlights the stark realities of their lives. It opens in the classroom of a girls’ school. We are introduced to the 12-year-old Sapna. On her way back, she waits outside the window of the community health centre in the area to watch the lady doctor at work. The lady doctor beckons her inside and asks her why she is waiting at the window. Sapna asks her whether she can become a doctor like her. But when she is asked by the teacher what she wants to become when she grows up, a giggling classmate mocks her saying, “She can only become a dhandhewali - a vulgarized term for one who sells one’s body for money.” Sapna belongs to the Banchada tribe and while her mother, a prostitute herself, plans to sell her to prostitution planning to make some money from the “nath utharna” ritual, a traditional term for the first night, the price for the first night’s customer who gets the right to strip the girl of her virginity. The doctor however, takes the help of a social worker to get a caste certificate for Sapna which will convince her mother to continue her education as she will be entitled to a scholarship for her further education. But all attempts at getting a caste certificate come to naught and while the mother sits in front of the highway for customers in vain as she is ageing, she also prepares for Sapna’s initiation into the profession. Strangely, the males in this community extract huge dowries when they get married though they are practically pimping and their wives are drawn from communities other than the Banchada community and they do not practice prostitution. The entire family then begins to live off the daughter’s earnings. When Sapna fails to get a caste certificate, she is forcibly prepared for the nuptial night and the first customer who pays Rs.10,000 is a middle-aged man. The film closes on the figure of a crying Sapna squatting on the floor after the first night, while the camera pans to focus on the bed and captures the image of an ointment Sapna’s mother gave her to prevent from the first night turning into a torture of pain. The film is aesthetically well-crafted with beautiful cinematography, good music and above everything else, brilliant piece of acting by every single actor. The film is currently on its international festival circuit, having won major awards at the FascinAsian Film Festival (Canada) and been officially selected for the Kazan International Film Festival and Festival du Film de Nancy in France. (The writer is an award-winning film scholar and author of several books.)

Palghar beckons tourists with a host of wonders

Bouquet of history, hills, hidden beaches and religion

Mumbai: Barely a couple of hours to the north of Mumbai lies the state’s youngest district, Palghar, where natural beauty, ancient history, and religion blend seamlessly, attracting tourists from across the country.

 

Founded in August 2014, Palghar district is home to around 30 lakh people, including tribals, migrants from across Maharashtra, and nuclear families who have relocated from Thane, Mumbai, Nashik, Pune, and Raigad to take advantage of the low cost of living.

 

There is also a sprinkling of affluent families who have invested in spacious bungalows or sprawling farmhouses to soak in nature’s bounty, particularly during the monsoons and winters.

 

“Palghar is not just a place to visit; it is a living story of the state’s history and breathtaking scenery, a quiet place to relax and reflect, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, whether for weekends or long-term,” said local tour curator and Director of KMC Holidays, Kiran Bhoir, during a whirlwind tour to mark World Tourism Day (September 27).

 

Since 2015, Bhoir has made it his mission to place Palghar firmly on the state tourism map. KMC Holidays offers specially crafted trips that showcase the district’s cultural, spiritual, natural, and marine treasures along the charming North Konkan coastal belt.

 

Among its attractions are vast, uncrowded beaches, ancient temples, forts, waterfalls, scalding hot springs, the famed Panju Island nestled in the Thane Creek, forests teeming with wildlife, plus fruit orchards and lush farmlands.

 

The highlight

The highlight is the 110-acre Vasai Fort, built in 1533 by Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and later fortified by the Portuguese. The fort witnessed many battles as it guarded a critical trade route through the Nalasopara Port, which dates back more than 2,300 years, according to archaeological excavations. Today, Vasai Fort lies in skeletal ruins but still echoes the glory of its imposing past before it fell into neglect in the 20th century.

 

Other notable forts include Kelva-Mahim, Arnala, Shirgaon, Kaldur, Asheri, Tarapur, and Kohoj — each with its own unique history of invasions, valor, and bloodshed.

 

Away from the forts, several temples offer a spiritual escape where time seems to pause. These include the 2,500-year-old Buddhist Stupa at Nalasopara West, believed to have been inaugurated by Lord Gautam Buddha himself; the Jivdani Mata Temple, accessible via a grueling 1,465-step climb or a thrilling 10-second funicular railway ride; the Adi Shankaracharya Temple in Nirmal, Vasai, which he is said to have visited 2,500 years ago; the popular temples of Vajreshwari Devi and Tungareshwar, Mahalaxmi Devi Temple.

 

There is the Samadhi of Swami Nityananda; the Mallinath and Jinsharanam Tirth Jain temples; the dargahs of Pir Sadroddin Baba, Hazrat Dulheshah Baba, and Rahman Baba; and churches such as Velankanni Mata, St. Thomas, St. Peter’s, and St. James, among many more.

 

Bhoir added that Palghar offers more than just history and religion. The hill station of Jawhar, with its historic Jawhar Palace, monsoon-fed waterfalls dotting the district’s hills, and the permanent natural hot-water springs of Vajreshwari village - which attract even foreign visitors - all add to the region’s appeal.

 

The coastline further enhances Palghar’s charm, with the serene and sparsely crowded beaches of Dahanu, Arnala (Virar), and Kelwa, where numerous holiday resorts provide a unique experience almost rivaling Goa or Kerala. Ferry services also operate from Naigaon, Panju, and Arnala to nearby locations.

 

S. B. Uke, a Mumbai office executive who resides in Virar, remarked: “The moment the local train crosses Bhayander, I feel a sense of calm and serenity in the natural surroundings - despite the growing urbanisation of Palghar as it integrates into the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).”

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