Healers for All Reasons

Last updated

Healers For All Reasons
Directed byVijay S. Jodha [1]
Written byVijay S. Jodha
Produced byPSBT [2] & Prasar Bharati
StarringKarimbhai Sumara, Rehmat Khan Solanki, Anil Kumar Gupta
CinematographySanjay Agrawal
Edited byVijay S. Jodha
Distributed bySyncline Films Pvt. Ltd. [3]
Release date
  • 23 February 2005 (2005-02-23)(India)
Running time
28 minutes
Country India
LanguageEnglish/Gujarati/Hindi

Healers For All Reasons (2005) is a 28-minute documentary directed by Vijay S. Jodha. It looks at two traditional Indian village healers whose lives and work embody altruism, tolerance and sustainability. The documentary was made in English, Gujarati and Hindi.

Contents

Content

Filmed in the aftermath of 2002 Gujarat violence in which over a thousand people were killed, and mistrust between Muslim and Hindu communities ran high, the film focuses on the work of two Muslim healers who live and work among predominantly Hindu communities. Karimbhai Sumra of Virampur village, Gujarat, uses traditional medicine to heal humans, animals, and even plants. The last category includes producing a variety of herbal pesticides for farmers. Rehmat Khan Solanki of Chur Village, Gujarat, on the other hand, specializes in treating animals and uses traditional medicine and environmentally friendly methods to heal them. Although a Muslim, he is called 'Gopal Bapa' by Hindu villagers for being a benefactor of cattle like Hindu deity Lord Krishna.

The two healers work in places that lack hospitals and modern veterinary services. They are not wealthy but do not demand any fee for their services. They are happy with whatever people give to them in return. Their knowledge of various local plants and their healing properties has been documented and recognized by mainstream scientists. [4] Prof. Anil Kumar Gupta of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and Executive Vice Chair of the National Innovation Foundation, talks on camera about his association with the two healers and the importance of their work in the context of protection and conservation of indigenous knowledge systems. [5]

Reception

Reviews for the film were positive, with India Today describing it as "a unique documentary on harmony" and that the film was "a testament perhaps to the fact that politics is yet to triumph over brotherhood and compassion." [6] Writing for Down to Earth, Nicki Kindersley said that "the documentary highlights the problem of maintaining a traditional system within modern corporate structures." [7] The Hindu said that the film "brings forth the pluralistic identity of the country in more ways than one." [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gujarat State in western India

Gujarat is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about 1,600 km (990 mi) is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some 196,024 square kilometres (75,685 sq mi); and the ninth-most populous state, with a population of 60.4 million. It is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Gujarat's capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. The Gujaratis are indigenous to the state and their language, Gujarati, is the state's official language.

Vallabhbhai Patel Indian barrister and politician (1875–1950)

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India and first Home Minister of India from 1947 to 1950. He is also called the "Unifier of India". The Statue of Unity, the Indian government erected world's tallest statue at a cost of USD420 million, was dedicated to him on 31 October 2018 and is approximately 182 metres (597 ft) in height. He was a barrister and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, who played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence, guiding its integration into a united, independent nation. He was one of the conservative members of the Indian National Congress. In India and elsewhere, he was often called Sardar, meaning "chief" in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. He acted as the Home Minister during the political integration of India and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

Ahmedabad Metropolis in Gujarat, India

Ahmedabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 8,253,000 makes it the fifth-most populous city in India, and the encompassing urban agglomeration population estimated at 6,357,693 is the seventh-most populous in India. Ahmedabad is located near the banks of the Sabarmati River, 25 km (16 mi) from the capital of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, also known as its twin city.

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Business school in India

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is a business school located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The school has been accorded the status of an Institute of National Importance by Ministry of Human Resources, Government of India in 2017. Established in 1961, the institute offers master's degree programs in management and agri-business management, a fellowship program and a number of executive training programs. The institute's founding director is Ravi J. Matthai. Other notable founding figures were the Indian physicist Vikram Sarabhai, Indian businessman Kasturbhai Lalbhai and Indian educator Kamla Chowdhary.

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor Film award

The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards started in 1954, awards for the best supporting actor category started only the following year 1955. As of 2016, Pran, Amrish Puri, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Anil Kapoor lead the list, with three wins each. Vivek Oberoi currently also holds the record of being the youngest recipient of the award, whereas Rishi Kapoor holds the record for being the eldest, while Abhishek Bachchan holds the record for winning the award thrice consecutively.

Demographics and culture of Ahmedabad

According to the 2011 national census, the population of Ahmedabad was declared to be 7,214,225. This figure was only limited to the municipality region. The total population of the Ahmedabad Urban Agglomeration came to 7.2 million people. There were 886 females to every 1000 males in 2001. Now there are 904 women to 1000 men in 2011. Ahmedabad had a literacy rate of 79.89% in 2001 which rose to 89.62 percent in 2011. Out of this, male and female literacy are 93.96 and 84.81 percent as of 2011 census. According to the census for the ninth plan, there are 30737 rural families living in Ahmedabad. Out of those, 5.41% live below the poverty line. There are 439,843 people who live in slums in the city. The majority of residents of Ahmedabad are native Gujaratis and speak Gujarati. There is also a sizable population of Punjabis, Marathis, Tamils, Sindhis, Malayalis and Marwaris who bring in their native language and culture to the city. The government institutions and military base near the city also bring peoples from across India. The city's population has increased in a major way following increasing economic expansion and modernization.

Gujarati people Indian ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking

The Gujarati people or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They primarily speak Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. While Gujaratis mainly inhabit Gujarat, they have a diaspora worldwide. Gujaratis in India and the diaspora are prominent entrepreneurs and industrialists and maintain high levels of social capital. Many notable independence activists were Gujarati, including Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

2002 Gujarat riots Three-day period of sectarian violence in the Indian state of Gujarat

The 2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002 Gujarat violence, was a three-day period of inter-communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The burning of a train in Godhra on 27 February 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hindu pilgrims and karsevaks returning from Ayodhya, is cited as having instigated the violence. Following the initial riot incidents, there were further outbreaks of violence in Ahmedabad for three months; statewide, there were further outbreaks of violence against the minority Muslim population of Gujarat for the next one year.

Dada Bhagwan, also known as Dadashri, born Ambalal Muljibhai Patel, was a spiritual leader from Gujarat, India who founded the Akram Vignan Movement. He was religiously inclined from the early age. He worked as a contractor for a company maintaining dry docks in Bombay before attaining "self-realization" in 1958. He left business and focused on his spiritual goals. The movement around his teaching grew into the Akram Vignan movement gaining followers in western India and abroad.

Satpanth is a Sanskrit term used initially by Nizari Isma'ilis and Ismaili Sufis to identify their faith formed over 700 years ago by Pir Sadardin. Although the term is today used mainly by its subgroup formed in the 15th century by his grandson Pir Imam Shah which itself consists of various sub-sects, and differs from the mainstream Nizari Khojas in that they reject the Aga Khan as their leader and are known more commonly as Imamshahi. Uniquely, the term Satpanth has been historically used by Ismailis that claim to be Muslim, as well as by adherents of subgroups that claim to be Hindus. There are villages in Gujarat which are totally Satpanthi such as Pirana near Ahmedabad where Imam Shah is buried. Satpanthi dargahs are known to be venerated with a stark contrast in the devotees, with outward Muslims who may wear a hijab, and outward Hindus wearing traditional garb such as the sari.

The Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was instituted in 1962 in memory of Dr. B. C. Roy by the Medical Council of India. It is presented by the President of India in New Delhi every year on July 1, National Doctors' Day. It is also the highest honour that can be achieved by a doctor in India.

Amit Shah Minister of Home Affairs (India)

Amit Anil Chandra Shah is an Indian politician currently serving as the Minister of Home Affairs and the first Minister of Co-operation of India. He served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2014 to 2020. He has also served as chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 2014. He was elected to the lower house of Parliament, Lok Sabha, in the 2019 Indian general elections from Gandhinagar. Earlier, he had been elected as a member of the upper house of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, from Gujarat in 2017. Sworn in at the age of 54, he is the youngest serving full-time Home Minister. He is the chief strategist of the BJP and a close aide to Narendra Modi.

Anil Kumar Gupta

Anil Kumar Gupta is an Indian scholar in the area of grassroots innovations. He is the founder of the Honey Bee Network. He retired as a full-time professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 2017, where he served for about 36 years.

Ajmer Dargah bombing

The Ajmer Dargah bombing occurred on 11 October 2007, in the courtyard of Sufi maulana Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, after the Iftar period had started. On 22 March 2017 a Special NIA Court convicted three Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharaks Devendra Gupta, Bhavesh Patel and Sunil Joshi. Sunil Joshi and Devendra Gupta were found guilty on charges of conspiracy and Bhavesh Bhai Patel was found guilty of planting the explosive on the blast site. Gupta and Patel were awarded life imprisonment. Sunil Joshi had been found shot dead in mysterious circumstances soon after the blast in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.

Ishrat Jahan case Extra-judicial killing by police in Gujarat, India

The Ishrat Jahan case is an ongoing case where officers of the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch and members of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of Ahmedabad are accused of fatally shooting four people on 15 June 2004 encounter killing.

Jagannath Temple, Ahmedabad

The Jagannath Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath in the city of Ahmedabad in the Gujarat state of India. The temple located in the Jamalpur locality was established by Sadhu Sarangdasji about 450 years ago. The temple is famous for its annual chariot festival, the Rath Yatra, which is the third most important and largest after the Ratha Yatra at Puri. The temple remains open for devotees from 4:30 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM daily.

Yash Bharati Award is the highest civilian award of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Instituted in 1994, it is awarded to those personalities whose contribution is remarkable in the field of literature, social work, medicine, film, science, journalism, handicrafts, culture, education, music, drama, sports, industry and astrology.

Alt News is an Indian non-profit fact checking website founded and run by former software engineer Pratik Sinha and Mohammed Zubair. It was launched on 9 February 2017 to combat fake news. Alt News was a signatory partner of the International Fact-Checking Network until April 2020.

Gangabai Pranshankar Yagnik (1868–1937) was a Gujarati writer from 19th century India. A teacher and an Ayurveda-practitioner by profession, she wrote Hunnar Mahasagar (1898) which was a compilation of about 2080 trades, skills and tips for self-employment. She is considered as the first female Gujarati writer.

<i>Bhuj: The Pride of India</i> 2021 film by Abhishek Dudhaiya

Bhuj: The Pride of India is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language war film directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya. Set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, it follows Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik — then in-charge of the Bhuj Air Force Base who, with the help of 300 local women, reconstructed the damaged landing strip in 72 hours. The film features Ajay Devgn as Karnik, alongside Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Nora Fatehi, Sharad Kelkar, Ammy Virk, Pranitha Subhash and Ihana Dhillon.

References

  1. "The D-Word: Vijay S. Jodha".
  2. "Home". psbt.org.
  3. "Film Store". Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  4. "Traditional herbal healer". National Innovation Foundation .
  5. "Empathetic innovations: Connections across boundaries". Anil Kumar Gupta .
  6. "Utopian sojourn - Vijay S. Jodha presents unique documentary on harmony". India Today . Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  7. "Two Good Men". Down to Earth . Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  8. "The Healing Touch". The Hindu . 11 July 2005. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2012.