We live in a society that claims to value meritocracy, yet we have in our midst a woman who is being persecuted for doing her job in all sincerity. Zebra Lines , a documentary by Rajesh James that was screened at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) in the capital city, depicts the travails of Padmini, a traffic warden in Kochi, while turning the spotlight on the plight of those in her profession in the bustling city.
Despite putting up a brave fight against the powers-that-be for more than two years, Padmini is yet to get justice. “I planned to make a film on workers engaged for work on the metro rail. It was then that we noticed the traffic wardens on duty on all the busy roads in the city. Almost 90 per cent of them are women, and a large majority are from Dalit communities. They work for up to 12 hours a day, often without even a break, for Rs. 300,” says Rajesh.
Padmini, the protagonist of Rajesh’s film, was present at the screening and she briefly described her struggle for justice.
“A car whizzed past me when I tried to prevent an accident, as a motorcycle was speeding. The car came back after a full 30 minutes and screeched to a halt right beside me on the roadside. A man got out and hit me hard on the chest before tearing off my uniform shirt,” Padmini recalls her humiliating and terrifying experience on that fateful day a few years ago. Too shocked to react, she somehow managed to reach her police station and file a complaint. Thus began a saga of discrimination and quest for elusive justice.
The director avers that what Padmini had to go through is akin to the racial discrimination and attacks faced by Afro-Americans in the United States. However, while racial profiling in the West hogs much attention in Kerala and India, we tend to turn a blind eye to such instances in our own land, making them invisible and inconsequential, feels Rajesh.
That Padmini is a poorly educated Dalit woman with no political or economic backing means hers is a lonely battle against indomitable odds. Although the media and political parties had taken up her cause for some time, the attention tapered off once new issues filled in the breaking news slot.
The documentary tells us about the many instances of abuse and threats Padmini faced at each stage of her legal tussle. Rajesh says he had his own share of difficulties but intends to screen this film at as many venues as possible till Padmini gets justice.
The documentary's inaugural show was followed by a press conference. Rajesh adds his film attracted viewers wherever it was screened. As traffic wardens are no longer under the police force as per the new government policy, and with almost all witnesses turning hostile, her case is becoming weaker every day. “But I have attempted to show how bold she has been in the face of such intimidation and insecurity,” Rajesh says.
Zebra Lines focusses on the dark areas that many non-privileged people like Padmini have to negotiate while many of us are accustomed to watching the whitewashed versions of life on the margins of society.
