A remote primitive little village in the Himalayas cut off from the outside civilization for thousands of years, had been living an innocent pure existence in harmony with nature. Was never invaded or ruled by an external administration. They had their own democracy. A bicameral assembly chosen by the village folk through a process of unanimous selection – and not an election! Their court solved all their internal disputes. No manipulation, no favoritism, they had their God in front. All decisions were unanimous; every individual’s opinion mattered – unlike the present form of democracy that leads to dictatorship of the majority. And the secret of their civilization was trust. They believed in trust, the democracy of trust. A given word is taken as absolute. So they never felt the need for formal education.

Mystery shrouds over the ancestral roots of the people there. Some say that they are descendants of deported soldiers of Alexander, some establishes that their existence is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology. Their origin is debatable but their practice of democracy is no doubt quite similar to that of ancient Greece.

And they produced some very good quality hashish. Blessed by Lord Shiva good quality marijuana plant grew in abundance there. For ages use of marijuana had been an integral part of their lives, from medicine to footwear. But in the past they never traded it; neither did they know the value of it. Their only trade with the outside world was sheep wool.

Around 30-40 years back came some white men. Who taught them how to rub the cream – the cleaner and more potent hashish suitable for an international market. Those foreigners got them into business. Hashish production grew like a home industry for each household. The poor villagers started earning money and they didn’t know the value of money either.

The Indian government suddenly discovers a hidden backward tribe gone into criminal activity. The outlaws are to be brought under the rule of our mainstream democracy. And they have to become a part of our national electorate.

To give them the light of our civilization government starts building a series of dams, tunnels through the mountain for hydal-power. The village gets electricity, Television, satellite dishes, mobile phones, a vehicular road. With them comes all the vices of a modern world, comes money, comes greed. Incursion of the political parties also means creation of political polarity among the beautiful people of a peaceful hamlet.

And then the fire strikes.

In January this year a devastating fire, caused by an electrical short circuit, destroys half the village including four ancient temples. The villagers comprehend that the political divide has disturbed their unity so the God is angry. Fire annihilates; the curse of the modern world has hit hard upon the hidden treasure of this ancient civilization - their trust.

The rebuilding of the village witnesses transition of an ancient civilization. Rules of the modern world that promotes homogenization and convenience, force replacement of traditional methods and practices. In our democracy it’s illegal to cut trees, so the villagers are forced to build concrete houses instead of their traditional stone and wood ones. Poor villagers can not understand how come government can destroy their jungle to built the dam or the road and they themselves are not allowed to cut a few trees to rebuild their homes! Concrete house means outside knowledge, outside people, more money and more vices. An age-old traditional society crumbles; the influential individuals turn corrupt, families break apart, brothers fight.

The people there got caught in a twist of fate. It was hashish, which once made them famous, got their existence noticed by the mainstream democracy and then itself has become their curse. Their production of hashish is very restricted now because of the police watch. But for the poor villagers it still remains their only means to earn some money, and it’s a very little money, not even enough to make their living forget about rebuilding their homes.

We can see the end is very near. For the progress of human civilization, like thousands others, another beautiful ancient civilization is getting engulfed by a modern one. Microcosm of a deeper reality.

When the whole world is looking for an answer to the shortcomings of the present form of democracy, seeking a form of governance that can be more for the people, we witness a beautiful form of self-governance getting destroyed.

I feel destined to record such a reality… some moments of truth, some disappearing myths, some wisdom of trust. May be we can learn something from them in the future!

 









imagined & realised by amlan



click here to watch a screeneproduced by anirban






'After the fire' on my public gallery


more view camera images