Dudh-Koila (2006)

Bucchigram- a village under Phoolbari upazilla of Dinajpur-stands in the perspective as the core land of the story. Most villagers there in the community are the indigenous santal farmers, workers, men and women. Since long, they have been living upon their natural method of agriculture, where they have their life long friend like the cattle, domestic games, trees and birds. They have their own customs, belief and lifestyle. They have their music that they perform by clapping and dancing to the beat of dholak (a musical instrument) to invoke rain every year following the scorching patch of drought. To them it was, the government has approved a foreign company to abandon their natural habitat, their land and turn the vast area into open-pit mine yard of coal. That is the reason for what they have been asked to leave their ancient homeland and shift to other place. The agency people have assured to give them appropriate amount of compensation. Even though, why they would respond to such grave enticement?

Like the company-agents, there are various fraud, that exist in the society to plunder life’s resource and diversity; along with the frantic approach of capital to destroy nature. The frenzy might well turn their green fertile motherland into an annihilated barren place, has frightened them more than anything else has. So, they want to stay put, not conceding even an inch of their land. Their massage is posted in their songs. The men, women and children of Bukchigram have a single vital question, where they will go. If they leave their own land, where would they get what they have been bestowed as their mother land over centuries?

In their words, they spray their blood on the land to grow their own food - they will never leave their land. Though santal have their own languages, children at the pathshala (local school) sing national anthem in bangle – 'Amar Sonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Valsobasi'.

The children have learnt that we should go nowhere leaving the mother land and should restore history that is long lost. In the dilemma all their dream and reality, the santal women sang the heroic saga of a legend in their dialect -

“Shidhu kanukhurkhurir vitore”.

Chand bhairo ghorar uporey.”

Protest fumed off their sense to protect own land from those foreign plunderer was followed by human uproar, huge stream of crowd stood protection for bukchigram of Phoolbari. The police and BDR raided and their bullet caused life. Yet their fear still looms large and their not free from the keen eyes of the company and those who were in the power during the crisis. In the tug of fear and courage was built the documentary titled, dudh koyla (coal milk).

The story from bukchigram, a village of Dinajpur. Most of the villagers in the community are santal tribe, muslim & hindu. They have their own customs. They have been living upon their own natural method of agriculture, dance & music.

We decided to make a film that would give a voice to the people, most of who are against mining.