Shimla: ‘The Lost Roots’, a documentary film highlighting the sufferings and hardships of the people living on Kuthera island of Pong Dam will be screened at Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal on 21st January during the Film Festival.
Director and Producer of the film, Rajendra Rajan apprised that earlier the film was shown at Mumbai on 6th October last year. The film had evoked sharp reactions among the audience against the insensitivity of all the successive State Governments of Himachal Pradesh during the last four decades towards the 175 residents of Kuthera Island. All the residents of the island are deprived of the basic facilities even today. The apathy towards them is highly deplorable.
An audio-visual presentation will also be given by Rajendra Rajan on the Film Production and Film Appreciation during the seminar and workshop being organized in connection with the Film Festival.
Residents of Kuthera Island were living without even basic amenities like electricity, primary health centre and school from past 42 years. Successive state government were making tall promises, but even after 42 years of suffering no one from government seems serious about the development of 175 residents of Kuthera Island.
Kuthera Island of Bari panchayat comes under Fatehpur assembly constituency of Kangra district. A lone handpump provides fresh water to the residents. Sujan Singh Pathania, local MLA, who is holding the power portfolio, also failed to provide electricity to them.
The school children have to pursue their studies at Dhameta village after covering a distance of 6 kms in deep waters through locally made wooden boats. ‘The Lost Roots’ highlight the miseries and painful journey of Kuthera oustees and expose the insensitive, indifferent and apathetic attitude of all the successive state governments of Himachal Pradesh.
Aiming to highlights the plights of the residents of Kuthera Islandm, Rajendra Rajan has tried to raise the issue of Kuthera oustees at national level and seek justice for them.
