‘Chardi Kala - An Ode to Resilience’ by Prateek Shekhar

India/ 95 min/ Hindi and Punjabi with English Subtitles/ 2023

Event details
Date: 27 November
Time: 19:30
Venue: Alfred-Hessel-Saal, Papendiek 14, 37073 Göttingen
Duration: 95 minutes
Director: Prateek Shekhar
Discussant: Nicole Wolf (Goldsmiths, University of London)

In September 2020, the Indian government passed three agricultural laws aimed at liberalising the farm economy. Soon after, farmers from across the country gathered at the borders of India’s national capital, New Delhi, for one of the biggest non-violent protests in modern history. Expressing their concerns about the dangers of corporatisation of agriculture, farmers articulated detailed and nuanced criticism against what they believed were unjust laws. Over the year-long protest, the farmers slept and cooked on the national highway, braving extreme weather conditions and hostility from their government, until the laws were repealed. Along with the strong mobilisation by the farmer unions, it was the embodiment of Sikh principle of ‘sewa’ (selfless service for the betterment of society) and the expression ‘chardi kala’ (eternal optimism) that made the movement dynamic, unique and strengthened its undying and indomitable spirit. Inspired by their everyday resilience, Chardi Kala follows the journey of the farmers’ protest until their victory. The one-person-crew film observes, listens and documents the farmers' comprehensive arguments, their acts of selfless service and the spirit of eternal optimism that imbued this grassroots-led movement as it made history.