AKHRA


AKHRA is an Indian documentary film production company established by Biju Toppo and Meghnath in 1996. Based in Ranchi, it mainly produces and distributes documentary films which are made in English, Hindi, Kurukh, and other regional language films. Since its beginning in the 1990s, AKHRA has so far made 50 films and has grown into one of the leading documentary film production house operating in Jharkhand, state of India.
The filmmakers Biju Toppo and Meghnath of AKHRA have been awarded the prestigious 58th National Film Awards in 2011 for their films 'Iron is Hot' and 'Ek Ropa Dhan' and the 65th National Film Awards in 2018 for their film 'Naachi se Baanchi' from the President of India. AKHRA is often credited for making the film Naachi se Baanchi which is a biographical film based on the life and works of Ram Dayal Munda.

Introduction

History

At the beginning of 1990s, some youth sat to evaluate the development in Adivasi society in Jharkhand. It was felt that although Adivasi society of Jharkhand has advanced in the field of government services and in sports they did not have enough presence it the intellectual field, i.e. in the fields of literature and journalism. So, it was decided to develop a group to work in this direction and this is how AKHRA was born in 1994. But as it was registered in 1996, so the year 1996 is termed as the foundation year of AKHRA. Traditionally, Akhra has been an open space in the village for a community meeting and entertainment, in old days it was basically a seat of learning. Unlike the traditional Ashram system, where the master used to choose the disciples, AKHRA was accessible to all. AKHRA today, is a group of committed persons, mostly indigenous youths, working in the field of culture, communication and human rights issues of indigenous peoples in India, in general, and Jharkhand, in particular.
AKHRA was started in 1994 which included Ajay Tirkey, Biju Toppo, Meghnath, Philip Kujur, Sunil Minz and Xavier Kujur. But within a span of almost five years, everyone left the group due to personal reasons with only Biju Toppo and Meghnath still remaining as the existing founders. Even to this date, the other members are closely associated with AKHRA with their time to time contributions in the field of filmmaking, journalism and music. With so many years of working as together as a duo, Biju and Meghnath have become a prominent face which represents AKHRA.

Biju Toppo and Meghnath

Biju Toppo was born on 20th January 1969 in Mahuandar, Latehar district of Jharkhand. He was born to Victor Toppo & Cecilia Xalxo who belong to the Oraon ethnic group of Jharkhand. He has one elder sister, one elder brother and two younger brothers. He completed his matriculation from St. Joseph's School, Mahuadanr in 1987, intermediate in commerce from St. Xavier's College, Ranchi in 1989 and graduation in commerce from the same college in 1994. He is one of the first Adivasi filmmakers who has effectively used the camera to counter the misrepresentation of his community by the ‘mainstream’ media. He is also credited for making the first film in Kurukh language and his films have received national and international recognition. Biju Toppo was awarded the prestigious 58th National Film Awards in 2011 for their films 'Iron is Hot' and 'Ek Ropa Dhan' and the 65th National Film Awards in 2018 for their film 'Naachi se Baanchi' from the President of India. He is currently the guest faculty for video production in the Bachelors of Journalism and Mass Communication department of St. Xavier's College, Ranchi.
Meghnath was born on 29th June 1953 in Bombay of Bombay State. He did his schooling in Bombay and started social work from 1971 in the refugee camps of Bangladesh Liberation War. He started rural development work in National Service Scheme under the guidance of Fr Gerard Beckers and worked as a volunteer for students health home, a co-operative health movement of the students with 3 lakhs members. He was elected the Joint Secretary of Health Home for the year 1975 to 1977. Meghnath completed his graduation from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata in 1977 and was the organizer of the highest voluntary Blood Donor in 1977 and 1978. He did his diploma in Social Work from Indian Social Institute, Bangalore in 1980 and came to Palamu district in 1981 to work on the issue of bonded labour in Jharkhand and eventually participated in the peoples struggle of to save the land, water and forest. He was the part of Jharkhand Movement and was the founder member of Jharkhand Coordination Committee along with B. P. Keshri, Sanjay Basu Mallick, N. E. Horo, Bishop Nirmal Minj and others. He did a short course on film making from Notredem Communication Centre Patna in 1988 and from CENDIT, New Delhi in 1989. In 1990, he did Film Appreciation Course from FTII, Pune and National Film Archive of India and also became a part of National Alliance of People's Movements and was part of Narmada Bachao Andolan along with Medha Patkar and participated in fasting for 22 days in the banks of Narmada. He has also worked with reputed documentary filmmaker Tapan Bose and Suhasini Mulay in 1989-91 and he started discussion and debate on the pro-people development models in predominately Adivasi Area and was the founder member of Pani Chetna Manch along with members of People's Science Institute. He worked on an alternative irrigation model and was part of making 125 small check dams and pines in Palamu district in 1993-95 under Sukha Mukti Abhiyan.
In 1993, he formed the group AKHRA to work in the field of culture and communication along with others. He was the Guest Faculty of Mass Communication and Journalism department in St. Xavier's College, Ranchi. In the last 40 years of social and cultural work, he has had the opportunity to work and learn from many great people and to name a few they are Fr Gerard Beckers, Debabrata Roy, Mother Teresa, Pannalal Das Gupta, Bishop George Sopien, B. P. Keshri, Tapan Bose, Suhasini Mulay, Satish Bahadur, P. K. Nair, Baba Amte, Sunderlal Bahuguna, Medha Patkar and Ram Dayal Munda. He considers film making as the extension of his social and cultural work. Along with Biju Toppo he has worked in more than 15 films which have received national and international recognition.

Filmography

YearFilmDirectorProducerEditorLanguageNotes
1996Saheed Jo Anjan RaheBiju ToppoAKHRABiju ToppoHindiSaheed Jo Anjan Rahe ', is a film about the brutal massacre of the indigenous persons on April 19, 1985, in which a former Member of Parliament named Fr. Anthony Murmu and fourteen others were killed in Banjhi, Sahebganj district of Jharkhand over a minor pond dispute at Banjhi. It is often termed as "Banjhi Massacre".
1997Ek Hadsa Aur BheeBiju ToppoAKHRABiju ToppoHindiEk Hadsa Aur Bhee is a film about a controversial dam incident in August 1997 which took place in Palamu district of Jharkhand. In order to silence the villagers’ protests against the construction of the Kutku-Mandal Dam, the temporary /sluice gate of the dam was shut. Thirty-two nearby villages were submerged overnight in the resulting floods, and approximately 1100 families were affected. Twenty-one people drowned, a large number of animals died and a lot of people’s property and goods were destroyed.
1998Jaha Chinti Ladi Hathi Se 'About indigenous peoples’ struggle against bauxite mining.
2000Hamare Gaon Me Hamara RajBiju ToppoBiju ToppoBiju ToppoHindiHamare Gaon Me Hamara Raj ' is a film on Panchayati Raj Extension in Scheduled Areas Act 1996. The film deals with the Grama Sabha movement.
2003Vikas Bandook Ki Nal SeBiju Toppo and MeghnathAKHRARajaHindiVikas Bandook Ki Nal Se ' is a film which presents and examines orchestrated state violence against indigenous and local peoples when they rally and protest against development projects on their lands. Rather than focusing on a single instance, the filmmakers strengthen their thesis by recording examples from all over the country: Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. In each case, using the local police force, the state has brutalised and killed protestors, often on trumped-up charges of violence.
2004From Kalinga to KashipurOn the people’s struggle against an aluminium factory in Kashipur block of Koraput district in Orissa.
2005Kora RajeeBiju ToppoKurukhKora Rajee is the first film in Kurukh, a tribal language. The film is on the issue of Adivasi labourers in the tea-garden communities of Assam and Bengal.
2007Khorar desher joler kotha 'On best practices of preservation and use of water in Purulia a drought-prone district of West-Bengal.
2007Power for changeIs on use alternative development in rural Orissa especially on the use of Micro-Hydel power.
2009100 Din Milega Kaam 'It is a film on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act that promises to provide 100 days of work in the rural area and what is the ground reality.
2010Loha Garam Hai 'Biju Toppo and MeghnathAKHRABiju ToppoHindiIt is on the issue of the sponge iron industry and its pollution and how people are trying to cope with it.
2010Gadi Lohardaga MailBiju Toppo and MeghnathAKHRAB. AjitHindi and Jharkhand folk songsNostalgic songs on the narrow gauge. Lohardaga passenger train which became history in January 2004.
2010Ek Ropa DhanIt is a film on the SRI method of rice cultivation, that explains how productivity can be increased by just changing the process of cultivation.
2010Mukta Gyana KutirIt is a film on alternative education for tribal girls who were dropout from regular schools. In the remote area of Orissa.
2011Sona Gahi PinjraBiju ToppoKurukhSona Gahi Pinjra ' is a film in Kurukh language which portrays about those people who desire to participate in their village festivals but are deprived because of their job. The film depicts how mobile phone becomes the living link in this situation.
2015Taking SideBiju Toppo and MeghnathForum of ReligiousBiju Toppo and Deepak BaraHindi and EnglishFor centuries people have laid down their life taking side with the oppressed. This film is the story of Sr. Valsa John. She was born in Kerala and worked for the Adivasi of Jharkhand. She leads the struggle against coal mining and laid down her life.
2015Accumulated InjusticeBiju Toppo and MeghnathAKHRABiju ToppoHindiAdivasi people’s living condition on the dark side of Rourkela Steel Plant.
2015The HuntBiju ToppoRajiv Mehrotra,-Ridhima Mehra and Tulika SrivastavaDeepak BaraEnglish & HindiToday, our Government thinks Maoist is a major threat to internal security. They want to eliminate them from the red corridor as Maoist is a hindrance to secure the mineral resources of these areas for the corporate partners. Tribal who are fighting to save their ancestral land, are branded as Maoist. The Film ‘The Hunt’ explores the lives of the people sandwiched between Maoist and the State.
2017Naachi Se Baanchi 'Biju Toppo and MeghnathFilms Division of IndiaAmit BahadurHindiIn his lifetime itself Dr Ram DayalMunda has become a symbol of indigenous cultural reawakening.Ram DayalMunda was the leading intellectual who has contributed to Jharkhand movement immensely. Dr Munda has represented Adivasi voices in RajyaShabha and United Nations. He has been awarded Sahitya Academy Award and Padmashree in 2009. He passed away in September 2011.
2018Mundari SrishtikathaTuhin PaulMeghnathRupeshHindiUnlike us, our children have missed the opportunity to hear folklore from their elders. Folklore helps and give us dignity and self-esteem and is helpful in building our personality. This is AKHRA's humble effort to narrate the creation of myths. These stories were created thousands of years ago when is science was not as developed as it is today. So we must enjoy them, but always keep a scientific approach to life.
2018Jharia 'Biju ToppoPublic Service Broadcasting TrustRupesh SahuHindiIt is a film about an eighty-five-year-old man, Simon Oraon, The Water Man from Jharkhand who has been working relentlessly on water management and environmental protection in the villages of Jharkhand since he was fourteen.

Film awards