Screening a documentary “Nero’s Guest”

Date: 14th August 2019

A documentary “Nero’s Guest” was screened on 14^th August 2019 by the department of Sociology, nearly 150 students was viewed along with faculties. Dr. Sowmya P welcomed the students and gave the introductory remarks about the documentary. Nero’s Guest directed by Deepa Bhatia is one of the first Indian documentaries which raised the subject of farmer suicides in India.

The documentary is based on the powerful report on rural affairs by senior journalist, P Sainath, which focuses mainly on the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra, one of the worst affected areas where maximum number of farmer suicides recorded. This documentary draws attention of the pain in Vidharbha region of Maharashtra and suffering of the plight of small, medium and poor farmers. The documentary have tried to show the actual lives of Indian farmers, burdened by unpaid debts and damaged crops leading to thousands of suicides each year.

The documentary precedes that how the farmers are pushed to end their lives due to extreme exploitation by various multinational companies in the era of globalisation. It has also revealed the monopolistic practises of companies supplying modified seeds, insecticides and pesticides. The film takes a dig on the unfavourable government policies and raises voices against the social injustice scenario in India.

It also focuses on the responsibilities of the stake holders to address and overcome these burning problems. Overall the documentary was very informative to the students, they were able to analyse the impact of globalisation on farming sectors. The activity ended with interaction and vote of thanks.