For the various peoples' movements in Kerala, the passing away of Saratchandran, documentary filmmaker and activist, is a heart-wrenching loss of a dear comrade and relentless chronicler. He was an integral part of all the major popular struggles in the region during the last few decades. Right from the legendary Silent Valley movement and Mavoor struggle against Gwalior Rayons, to the popular protest at Plachimada against Coca Cola and the Chengara land rights struggle, he was there, rubbing shoulders with them, sharing their dreams and frustrations. Sarat's filmography literally reads like a chronicle of the history of resistance in Kerala during the last decades on major fronts – environment, anti-pollution, displacement, right to land and livelihood.
Documenting the world
For Sarat, filmmaking was a political act where cinema accomplished one of its most elemental of qualities: to ‘document' the world before it and to bring those images back to the people. Sarat was a virtual conduit of images between the world and Kerala, taking images of local resistance to the world and vice versa. The very process of filmmaking he adopted involved the people at all stages – from background research and shooting to distribution and exhibition. For him, filmmaking did not end with the making of a film; he travelled extensively to create a network of filmmakers, activist groups, and campuses in order to show films and open up new horizons for youngsters and activists alike. He was not averse to new technologies. As an activist involved in political and environmental issues, he sensed that video technology was more mobile, affordable and accessible than the celluloid.
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The Hindu : Arts / Cinema : Friend and filmmaker
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