The first three minutes of this film on Punjab history and politics dramatize the life and times of a prominent Indian revolutionary, Bhagat Singh, hung by the British in 1931 for the murder of an official. I stopped several times at that point, questioning whether reviewing the film was worthwhile. What a mistake. Had I pressed on, instead of finally viewing the production in its entirety weeks later, I would have immediately appreciated its importance, both as viable exploration of the complexities of contemporary Punjab and as a teaching tool. The film demonstrates the relevance of Bhagat Singh's championing of the underclasses (in the Punjab, the peasant and urban worker) for provincial and national politics in the 1980s.
The writers and director convincingly trace how many sets of actors in the Punjab drama are trying to claim the mantle of Bhagat Singh. Sikhs attempt to turn him into a convert who defended the faith against Hinduism. The government plays up his patriotism and contribution to the nationalist movement. The Communist Party, most accurately, shows that Bhagat Singh believed primarily in socialist doctrines and was committed to opposing narrow communal interests and some of the nationalist ideas associated with Gandhi. With provocative writings interspersed throughout the film, the breadth and courage of the young hero emerges, and more pointedly, his assessment of what had to be done if India was to be freed from its own internal strife and tensions.
With a backdrop of Bhagat Singh's deeds and ideas, the film weaves a colorful mosaic involving the struggle among three major actors in Punjab politics. The government/Congress receive less treatment, in part because these only tend to involve repression and decisions from outside the regional political arena. More fascinating and relevant are the scenes of yong Sikh radicals who agitate in defiance of official edicts and the police. Several episodes provide the chance for dedicated Sikh zealots, often associated with the Sikh Student Federation, to voice their views about Khalisan, zulum (official atrocities), and those seen as dangerous to the cause of "true Sikhism." The interviews are candid, and even if one does not follow the often rustic Punjabi, the subtitles are accurate and capture the flavor of discussion. The best parts of the film, however, are on worker and peasant groups associated with warring factions of the Communist movement, who move from village to village preaching a message of communal unity and opposition to religiosity. The songs, plays, and processions associated with these organizations highlight the threads of Punjab culture that bind peasants in the villages despite communal bickering and inflammatory action. One gets a realistic feel for the Communists and their message, an element of the Punjab struggle usually omitted in press reports. A leading figure in this campaign, Jaimal Sing Padda, reads poetry, harangues crowds, and generally acts in a fearless and vulnerable fashion, knowing well that he and associates are marked for death by fellow Sikhs espousing a separate state. Indeed, shortly after the film was complete, Padda was killed, joining the lengthening list of martyrs eulogized in the songs and stories "in memory of friends" who died for the good of all Punjabis.
This documentary gives a better feel for the personalities and issues in modern Punjab than any other single presentation. As a teaching aid, it is invaluable. Courses on modern India, religion, politics, and history all would be enriched by showing and discussing the film, as would others interested in a society in a period of change. There is a fascinating discussion, for example, among family members about living in danger and about divisions caused by membership in differing political factions. The spirit, energy, and love of life so prevalent in the Punjab emerges again and again, as does the horror and constant pain of life in a culture torn by religious and political divisions. The writers, politicians, and skilled cinematographers involved in producing this important work are to be congratulated. They have succeeded in showing the powerful ties between Punjab history and tradition on the one hand, and the efforts to control the destiny of the state. There are no easy ways out of the current morass, but In Memory of Friends suggests that personal courage and commitment in the long run will ensure the survival and, yes, the enrichment of Punjabi culture.
