LA6690

Cultures of Resource Extraction: Past, Present, and Future

Literature/films/autobiographies/oral histories/ any other cultural text on

resource extraction in India
Mohua Ahiri
Tisha Pantawane(CH19BTECH11014)
Yash Dahale(ME19BTECH11050)
Ashutosh Chaurasia(ME19BTECH11045)

This paper presents an overview of how artistic representations such as films, literature,
paintings and sculptures portray the impact of resource extraction on Indian Culture. Since the
ancient times India was known as a rich center of resources for the traders across the Globe.
However with colonialism our land and resources were neatly parceled out mostly to the major
European nations so much so that the indeginous people were deprived of their own resources
and disturbed the ecological balance of the land leading to several natural and human tragedies.
However, like any other human phenomena, artistic imagination has also tried to document and
interpret this extraction and deprivation of resources. In this paper through some literary texts,
films and paintings and sculptures we have made an attempt to showcase the plight of the human
kind.

Literature/Autobiography
Though Colonialism has historically ended yet with globalization and the expansion of market
economy there is a powerful nexus of exploiters and extractors who come in the guise of
development, progress and modernity. Literature has not only presented these exploitations as
naive representations but also has made political statements to subvert the very idea of
development and progress.This paper has discussed some writings that were published in the
nineties. An era when India’s economy got its impetus due to liberalization. But where have we
been since then? Maybe the analysis can point us in some direction.

1. Mayilamma –The Life Of A Tribal-Eco Warrior

Mayilamma –The Life Of A Tribal-Eco Warrior is an

autobiographical account of an Adivasi woman who rose to
prominence as a leader in Plachimada's fight against Coca-Cola.
The Coca-Cola corporation received permission to build a bottling
facility at Plachimada in 1998. Residents were persuaded by elected
officials that the company's presence would bring job possibilities.
However, they were only able to work cleaning bottles when the
plant first started up in 2000. Every day, the firm dug up 1.5 to 2
million liters of water. Due to its dumping, the soil's fertility was
destroyed. The water in the wells had either significantly declined in
quality or had completely disappeared six months after the factory had started to run. The water
left the skin itchy, and the cooking inedible, leaving people tired and ill. Additionally, paddy
fields which once grew paddy that were then left uncultivated resulting in the loss of agricultural
livelihoods. The Adivasis made the decision to oppose the business, calling for a stop to its
activities there and monetary recompense for the misery they had to face.
A World Water Conference, organized by Vandana Shiva, was held in Plachimada in 2004, and a
declaration was drafted. Factory operations came to an end in 2004, but the Adivasis remain to
be compensated as governments elected at the state and center keep shifting responsibility. The
wells are still dry years after the factory was shut down in 2004 and women are still required to
walk great distances to fetch water.

2. Five past Midnight in Bhopal Book by Dominique Lapierre

In the late 1990s, journalists Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro

spent three years in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where thousands had
been killed and injured in 1984 when a cloud of deadly gas escaped
from a pesticide plant operated by the US company Union Carbide.
Methyl isocyanate (MIC), a chemical, leaked from a pesticide
facility owned by Union Carbide India Ltd. (UCIL) on December
2, 1984, turning the city of Bhopal into a massive gas
chamber.More than 600,000 workers were harmed and more than
15,000 individuals died as a result of at least 30 tonnes of methyl
isocyanate gas. The narrative of a group of villagers who were
forced to flee their homes due to protracted droughts is followed in
the book as they look for a new life on the outskirts of the fairly
rich city of Bhopal.

3. Neel Bidroho (Indigo Revolt) by Pulak Chandra

This book addresses the revolt by farmers in Bengal against the

British landowners who forced them to grow Indigo. The demand
for indigo was high everywhere in the world. Due to Europe's high
demand for blue dye, indigo trade was profitable. Due to the
monopoly that European planters possessed over indigo, they forced
Indian farmers into growing it by having them sign fraudulent
contracts with them. The indigo revolution was a revolt by farmers
against British landowners who had compelled them to grow the dye
under extremely unfavorable conditions. Thousands of ryots
(peasants) in Bengal refused to grow indigo for the European
planters (owners of land and indigo factories) during the summer of
1859. Despite the government's harsh suppression of the rebellion, it
was a success. The government established the Indigo Commission in 1860 in response to the
revolt.

4. Surangam:

The book provides a fictionalised description of the fundamental issues

that coal workers in West Bengal and Jharkhand confronted from a
Marxist perspective. K. Chinnappa Bharathi, a PROGRESSIVE of the
Marxist persuasion who combines the traits of a tenacious warrior and
a resolute writer driven by an unquenchable desire to liberate exploited
people, is possibly the only one of his kind in Tamil Nadu. The story of
Sangam follows the hardships of the tribal inhabitants of Tamil Nadu's
Kolli Hills and their vain attempts to escape the clutches of greedy
moneylenders, traders from the plains, and dishonest forest authorities
through organised resistance. The story is concluded by Bharathi with
the flooding of a coal mine as a result of the officials' complete
contempt for safety regulations despite employees' warnings. Losing
their lives are the 300 trapped employees in the mine. The accident
occurred as the employees were getting ready to go on strike. Dilip
Paswan, a friend of Bikas, was one of those who died. Humans perish,
but humankind does not, Bikas asserts in honour of the deceased. This
upbeat tone is left from the novel.

Films:

Instead of random names and dates and boring facts, movies give us memorable visuals and an
engaging storyline that simply helps us remember what we learned. They give us a new
perspective and encourage us to dive into a more profound understanding of subjects. Producers
and directors have used this as a great tool to inspire and motivate millions worldwide. Indian
producers like Yash Chopra, R Srinivasan, and Anuraag Kashyap have flawlessly used movies to
depict the effect of resource extraction on Indian Culture.
1. Gangs of Wasseypur: In 1941, Shahid Khan, a Pathan begins to work as a laborer in a
coal mine in Dhanbad. He is unable to be at his wife's side during childbirth as he isn’t
allowed to leave from work, and his wife dies. The enraged Shahid kills the coal mine's
muscleman who had denied him leave on that day. But, Shahid does the same with other
laborers when he becomes a muscleman. Whoever gains the power, forgets what his roots
are.

2. Swades:
Beautiful movie portraying that with the help of education, we can extract natural
resources for our need without damaging the natural resources. Mohan is a non-resident
Indian who works as a Project Manager at NASA in the United States. He visits India and
during his visit he finds that the village lacks basic facilities such as electricity, and
throws light on other social issues such as casteism, women empowerment. He decides to
set up a small hydroelectric power generation facility from a nearby water source.
Humans can also be treated as a resource here. When you are talking about India, you
have to consider humans as a resource as well.

A human is converted into a resource by means of education, health, and training.

Mohan, an educated individual or a human resource, helps in the extraction of natural
resources(Hydro power) into electricity.

3. KGF: Over a period of 120 years of its existence, mining in KGF has yielded more than
800 tonnes of gold. The mining belt has also been a hotbed of workers' struggle. KGF has
come to occupy a unique cultural, economic, social, and political place in Karnataka.
This film is an attempt to parse some of the realities of KGF today.
The link to the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgwUnoZbAig&t=8s

The KGF movie, along with the political tussle between two groups, depicts the plight of
gold miners. The movie has clearly shown the miners living in poor conditions and not
having basic necessities such as food, cloth, and shelter until the protagonist arrives in the
picture. But the movie later on clearly shows us that whoever comes into the power game
loses their ethical values and starts exploiting the poor people which the protagonist does
as well in the movie's sequel. Though it has been shown that he gives the basic needs to
the workers, he exploits them in the name of it.

4. Carbon(2017): Set in 2067, 'Carbon' focuses on the prevailing environmental issues in

Delhi. The film showcases the scarcity of oxygen and water and its adverse effects on the
environment and future generations. Extensive extraction of resources leading to the
production of CO2 and other pollutants in the atmosphere leads to an apocalypse in
installment. This futuristic film portrays a scenario where there will be a dearth of
oxygen, and only carbon in the atmosphere. The film passes a strong statement “Those
who don’t understand the value of Oxygen will die”.

5. Kala Patthar: Kaala Patthar is inspired by a real-life mining disaster in India in the
history of the mining industry. The Chasnala mining disaster of December 27, 1975,
unfolded in a coal mine near Dhanbad in Bihar. The movie brings out the harsh realities,
 tragedies and risks faced by workers of the coal mine. By the movie's end, one already
feels like standing alongside Vijay, the protagonist and demanding justice. The colliery
belonged to the Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCo). An already weakened 80-feet
wall of coal between the active mine pit and another abandoned mine above it that was
full of water collapsed suddenly even as 375 miners and company officials were inside it.
It was triggered either by an explosion or the strain of years. What followed was a
monumental tragedy. This movie not only documented a major Indian tragedy in a
modern way, but it pierced some harsh realities through people's hearts.

Sculpture/Arts:

The art of extraction is often an act of disappearance making invisible industrial practices
exploiting the environment. However, the subtle message in any art piece does give us the
picture of how extraction has been done and continues to be done at various level and for an
artist his art is the only means of putting up the protest against those who have mutilated nature
and its resources.

1. Triumph of Labor

This is an open air large-scale sculpture in bronze made by Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury
(1899–1975). It was installed at Marina Beach, Chennai, on the eve of the Republic Day in 1959.
It shows four men trying to move a rock, rendering the importance and contribution of human
labour in nation building. Unconquerable men are wrestling with nature, doggedly,
indeterminately and powerfully. It is an image of labour against the elements of nature.
Chowdhury loved to dwell on the strong musculature of his workers, revealing their bones,
veins, flesh, etc. He portrayed the extreme physical effort of loosening a massive, immovable
rock. Human figures are installed in a way that creates curiosity in us as viewers.
 2. Santhal Family :

This is an open-air large-scale sculpture created by Ramkinker Baij in 1937. It is made out of
metal armature and cement mixed with pebbles, and placed in the compound of Kala Bhavana,
Shantiniketan, India’s first national art school. It shows a scene of a Santhal man, carrying his
children in a double basket joined by a pole, and his wife and dog walking alongside. Perhaps, it
speaks of the family migrating from one region to another, carrying all their frugal possessions in
search of work as they lost their source of income due to modernisation. The settlement of british
empire in the forest region where they used to thrive on agriculture resulted in losing their source
of income due to heavy taxation and oppression by Zamindars or moneylenders. This must be an
everyday scene for the artist living amidst the rural landscape. It is placed on a low pedestal,
making us feel as if we are part of the same space. The significance of this work is that it is
regarded as the first public modernist sculpture in India. The material of which it is made of is
important. The artist has avoided traditional medium like marble, wood or stone, and has
preferred cement, the symbol of modernisation.

3. The One Rupee Note - Sagar Sangaram

It is the smallest Indian banknote in circulation

and the only one produced by the Government of
India, while the Reserve Bank of India issues all
other banknotes in circulation. This note includes
a photograph of the drillship Sagar Samrat, a
commercial vessel built for exploratory offshore
drilling of new oil and gas wells or research drilling. In 1974, it was the first rig to drill the first
offshore well. This is one example of history demonstrating that resource exploitation led by
India was a cause for jubilation among the Indian people. It demonstrated India's progress and
development.

Conclusion

To end our paper I can think of an anecdote, the story of Noah’s ark. God had chosen
Noah to preserve each species and his family to continue with humanity. There is a need
for some more Noahs in today’s world which will preserve our planet for our future.
References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santal_people

https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/artist-prabhakar-pachpute-unearths-the-struggle
s-of-farmers-turned-miners/story-ZH1eMrGAlRwohKsCLbvp2J.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMVpwc1nO2k

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangs_of_Wasseypur_%E2%80%93_Part_1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swades

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santhal_rebellion

https://indianculture.gov.in/stories/indigo-revolt-bengal#

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaala_Patthar

https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30190467.ece

https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/new-one-rupee-note-sagar-samrat-things-to-know-oil-explora
tion-rig-980196-2017-05-31

https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lefa107.pdf

https://feminisminindia.com/2019/02/14/mayilamma-book-review-tribal-eco-warrior/

https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30190467.ece

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/view-breaking-the-
resource-curse/articleshow/72965755.cms?from=mdr

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079386/reviews