Kerala’s twin trauma: Wayanad Landslide and Hema Committee Report

On July 30th, 2024, Kerala woke up to the tragic news of two landslides. In the Vellarimala hill, deep in the forest where the irivanjipura river originates in Wayanad, the first landslide struck in the middle of the night at 1:00 AM. The place of origin of the landslide was two kilometeres away from where the first settlement resides, downhill, in Punjirimattom colony. The next ferocious one struck early in the morning at 4:00 AM. Even for those in the suburban areas, the magnitude of the catastrophe unfolded very slowly.

Waynad landslide

More than 500 people killed, and 215 buildings destroyed in the landslides. Two wards of the Vellarimala village in the Mepaddi panchayat, Mundakai and Chooralmala almost completely flattened, with  everything that came in its way carried away by the raging water. Those wards were down hill on the way of the water. Continuing the deabacle the debris gushed down to reach Chaliyar river. 5 km of land with settlement on both sides of the river destroyed in the landslide. 250 acres of land, almost the size of 140 football grounds came under the fury of the water.

Hema Committee Report

Twenty days later, on August 19th, 2024, the much-anticipated Hema Committee Report finally published. A report, submitted to the Government on December 31st 2019, published four and a half years later. The report is the result of eminent cinema women in Kerala who put their career at stake so as to bring justice to the victim of 2017 assault. The Hema committee was appointed, in 2017, by the Government.

Everyone knew the report would create ripples in the political and cinema circuit, but the extent of the upheaval it caused was unpredictable. The first ever detailed report about the disparity and injustice in Cinema. Worldwide the WCC (Women in Cinema Collective) members are being praised. The WCC members were also the trailblazer, before #Metoo campaign in the west, with the #Avalkoopam (With her) campaign in support of the 2017 molestation victim. They stood by her and formed the WCC in protest when AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) protected the accused.

Ecologically sensitive area

Wayanad was an ecologically sensitive area that was part of the Western Ghat passing through Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.  In 2011, Madhave Gadgil had presented a detailed report to the Government stating the fragility of the Ghats and how 37% area of the Ghats needed to be marked as Ecologically Sensitive Area(ESA). Vellarimala falls in the ESA where human activities need to be regulated. His report was ignored. With the aftermath of the Wayanad landslide, declared a national disaster, the report got serious attention. 

According to researchers, forest cover loss, mining in fragile terrain, prolonged monsoon rains, heavy precipitation, and climate change lead to the landslide. 48 hours before the landslide, Wayanad received 532 mm of rainfall, when the normal rainfall should be 23.9 mm per day. When the water seeped into the fractured rocks and a saturation point reached, it burst resulting in a portion of the hill inside the forest areas to slip two kilometres. 

The expansion of the river

The river expanded on both sides 10 times and flowed at high speed towards the punchirimattom colony 2 km downhill. According to experts, after the first landslide the uprooted trees formed a temporary  dam at Seethammakundu waterfall. When the second landslide happened the dam burst, converting the potential energy to kinetic energy, and speeding down the hill reaching Chaliyar river 20 km away. At 7:30 AM in the morning people near the banks of Chaliyar saw the debris from the hill that included 200 bodies and body parts. 

 On its way the water, took with it a mix of boulders, soil and trees, grinding everything that came in its way. At Mundaki a part of the now 10 times more expanded river deflected to the side forming an island in the middle. The deviated water went down to chooralmala causing the most damage. And then merged with the main river. Experts say the deviated route was an old route of the river that was levelled for tea plantation and settlement. Some say cloudburst can be a reason for the heavy rains. The aerosol particles present in the cloud could have caused the cloudburst. A Natural phenomenon, climate change or human activity all in combination or any one of them caused the landslide. 

The people of the hills

Like the Hema Commission Report, the government needs to give the people of the hill a clear-cut reason for the landslides and a clear cut line of action for their future. The people of Wayanad know the hills like the palm of their hand. They should be given the opportunity to settle as per their choice. It is so sad to see the survivors going emotional when they say that their neighbours, relatives or community is not staying near them.

The Wayanad people are known for their innocent, uncomplicated, secular community living. What they want and deserve now is to be allowed to stay together in their community. Shattered lives will be easier to piece together when the former neighbours stay in a clutter. Best contribution we can make for them is to bring back their families and facilitate the requirements so that the people of the hills stay close by as they did before the landslide. 

The connection of the people with the hills

There is a Youtube channel called ‘Ossum Life‘ by Anjel Mohan, a former settler of Chooralmala and Mundakai. Many years ago his family relocated to a distant town. In the past four years, he  made several videos about Chooralmala, Mundaki, Punjiramttom and attamala. Certain observations he makes in those videos about the hills were so true  that you think that he is prophesying about the landslide. The people of the hill have a connection with nature. Many knew that a catastrophe was unfolding by observing the changes in nature. Many relocated. Some called the media. Others made videos. Some had written stories and poems. They knew about the looming danger of the area. What they miscalculated was the safety of the man made structure that was their home arguably made on strong foundations.

Memory of the river

The unprecedented landslide taught the people of the hill a new lesson. They now know they have to evacuate as soon as the alarm is made. 

Some of the survivors say that they are used to landslides and they expected the surging river water, on July 30, would flood their homes. The river taking a different route and bringing loads of mud, trees and rock along was never imagined. 

After the landslide Anjel revisited the affected areas once again. He looked at the two storey high sentinel rock that he, previously, used to explain to the viewers with nostalgia. This time he had a curious question. He asked the viewers, “How did these rocks reach here?” Did someone move them here or they were always there? The rocks were there for more than 100 years. He concludes that a  landslide happened before his ancestors settled here, bringing the rocks from the top and that is why no one knows about such a catastrophe. 

5% of the report

After the publishing of the 5 percent of the 5000 page report, the fissure between the progressive thinking women in Cinema and the patriarchal structure of the existing Malayalam cinema is very evident. Until the publishing of the abridged, light version of the report, AMMA was everything. But now AMMA and WCC need to bond together like a couple. Unlike the couple of a dysfunctional family, they should be a progressive mother and a father who is ready to give space to the women in the family. When AMMA becomes a progressive Appa and WCC joins hands, the number one issue mentioned in the report can find a solution.

Currently, the Women in Cinema were fighting for ‘the change’. They are fighting for their space and mutual respect in the Cinema. But the patriarchy remains in denial. They felt the climate changing, the muddy water flowing and the savage smell of the soil, yet they believed they were safe inside their home. They refused to heed to the alarms raised by the women in the union to change. At the press meet the General Secretary described the sexual abuse complaints as a ‘stray incident’. They thought they were in a safe zone, but the Hema Commision Report wasn’t just another regular landslide. 

Too much news to follow

Keralites have two important news for them to watch out for- Wayand and Hema Committee Report. Under the Wayanad report they will comment something about the Hema Committee Report and vice versa. The rebuilding of Vellarimala hills and rehauling the Malayalam film industry are both close to the heart of the Keralites. 

People migrate to other countries from Kerala because there are no industries providing job opportunities to the highly educated Malayalees. Mollywood was the only  industry that gave hope to the Malayalee diaspora. It is a pleasure to see that a bunch of highly educated and extremely talented malayalees stayed back in Kerala, generated income, gave many jobs and lived a king size lifestyle. No one wants to see the only thriving industry in Kerala crumbling. 

The Hema Committee consisted of a retired judge, an IAS officer and a veteran actress. They studied the malayalam film industry in depth with some of the following observations:

Adjustment or compromise for work

The most talked about issue in the the report was about the sexual abuse faced by the women in the industry. The most noteworthy point was that unlike in other workplaces where women face harassment at the workplace, here women have to submit to the will of the director, producer or someone in the crew to make the initial entry in cinema.

The sexual abuse, an open secret of the film industry, was documented in detail for the first time. And the study was done by a former bureaucrat and a Judge. And the points vindicated by a Senior actress. 

As Krishna Kumar, the actor and a father of four girls, pointed out in an interview, criminals are increasingly entering the film industry with bad intent. There was no criminalisation in olden days. 

In the report it is said that sometimes parents also think that compromising is the way to get a break in cinema. 

The Power group

Decades ago there were stories how Bollywood is controlled by the ‘underworld’. In Mollywood a new term has come for the total control over the film world – ‘power group’. 70 times the word ‘power’ is used in the report. In which 23 times ‘power group’ is used. ‘Powerful Lobby’, ‘Persons powerful in cinema’, ‘Dictates of those in Power’, ‘Power nexus’, ‘Grown powerful by money’ are some of the terms used for the control that is exercised in cinema.  When discussing the women or the victims the terms used are the ‘disempowered’, powerless and  non powerful. Finally, for recommending changes the terms used are ‘power equation’, ‘high powered judicial tribunal’ and ‘about depiction of powerful women in cinema’. 

The report mentions that some film crew members face ‘unofficial bans’ and that the unions have so many misconceptions about their self-proclaimed powers. The report says, “bans are illegal and unauthorised”. 

How the term ‘power’ is used in the Hema Committee Report:

• Powerful Lobby – 5
• Persons powerful in cinema – 3
• Dictates of those in Power – 2
• Power group – 23
• Powerful men in the industry – 2
• Power structure – 3
• Position of power (power position) – 6
• Power nexus – 9
• Grown powerful by money
• Was powerful
• Powerful members
• Power of the union
• Exercise of power
• Powerful medium
• Powerful women
• Monopoly of power
• Power equality
• Disempowered
• Power of tribunal 
• Power equation
• Powerless
• Non Powerful
• Power relation
• High powered judicial tribunal

The report discusses how a female said she was treated as a hairstylist, even though she is qualified in makeup. This is because the remuneration of a makeup artist is much higher. 

The report talks about the junior artists who have to travel to the set and back on their own. After the agents take the commission what they get pittance. They are not provided with a proper toilet and they have to stand the whole day in the sun. Overall the situation of the junior artists is of servitude. They are the invisible lot. We see the heroes and heroines and their caravan. The contribution of the junior artist we forget to acknowledge. 

Agencies for Junior artiste

In the movie Adam Joan a number of foreign actors acted, supplied by agencies. Kerala needs to learn from the West about Managing junior artists.

One of the dramatic changes that can be brought about in the film industry is raising the standards at the workplace. The one reason why people migrate to foreign countries is because of the work culture and the employee benefits. If atleast the film industry brings a change in improving the work culture that will follow suit in other industries also. Probably the changing work culture will hold back the youngster in Kerala from migrating.

Increase in production expense

Some say that the production expenses will surge which will be beyond the capacity of the producer. Managing the expense so as to take care of the welfare of the crew is crucial for bringing out the best of the talents of the actor whether junior or celebrities. Film staff share stories of how the heroes demand for a soft drink and a whole van arrives for him to choose whatever he wants. The mantra – only if the hero is kept away from any kind of stress he can deliver to the highest potential.

The same rule is applicable to the actor with the tiniest of roles. There are 30 different categories of women working in cinema listed in the report like  actor, director, producer, hair stylist and dancer. How can a woman perform duties assigned to her with utmost perfection if she is facing harassment at work.

Vellarimala and Switzerland

A place that has regular landslides like Wayanad is Switzerland. But in Switzerland casualties are less and the way the people and the government handle the situation is different. They rely on the latest geo radar alarm system and another four different forms of warning systems. The settlements rebuilt at the same place. Fissures filled and fortification made so as to prevent landslides in future. 

Let People of the hills stay at their former place, if the government feels that the place is habitable. The people of the hill looked stressed because of relocating to unknown areas. Rebuilding their settlement closer to their previous homes will be good for all.

Rebuilding the settlements

Like in Switzerland, if the town is rebuilt after the landslide, then that is the best option. Such landslides and floods are going to increase in future. Train them to live in the area dodging the calamities. The houses should be built as per the geographical condition of the place. Instead of building houses that are a symbol of prestige, they should build houses that resist hazardous climate. Or build houses in a climate friendly cost effective way which resists landslide.

Arguably India has more population and less funding than Switzerland. For the government to achieve the target of “Viksit Bharat” generate enough funds to rebuild the hills. We should stop comparing ourselves with the US. In the US most people are well off, so when you see someone in poverty that becomes news. In India 80 percent of the population is poor. So the 1% creamy society is the news.

Kerala rocks

With 1000Cr made in three months through cinema and a booming tourism industry Kerala was rocking. But now Kerala has hit the rock bottom. The way to emerge successfully out of this muck is when the malayalees work together to rebuild Wayanad like Switzerland and Remodel Model Mollywood’s work environment like that of Hollywood.