Fishers of Men

1999 · 117 min

For over a century, a substantial number of Adivasis, or tribals of the Chottanagpur plateau, have been converting to Christianity in order to free themselves from bonded labour and feudal oppression still prevalent in rural India. A combination of education and Christianity have helped the Adivasis establish an alternative identity outside the Hindu caste system, undermining feudal and Hindu authority. While the demand for a tribal homeland called Jharkand has been gaining momentum from a number of sources since independence, Hindu fundamentalist organisations such as the Rashitriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have held the Christian missionaries singularly responsible for encouraging the Jharkand movement. In the absence of dialogue between Hindu revivalists and Christian tribals, this feature length documentary represents an effort to understand how the two communities will co-exist within a secular Indian fabric.