Film/Stage

LABOUR OF LOVE
The Many Causes of Reema Anand

by HENNA SINGH

Reema Anand. If you've attended any of the Spinning Wheel Film Festivals over the past five years, you have heard of her.  You have probably seen her films and chances are that they have left an impact on you. 

Author, filmmaker, columnist and activist - it seems that there is no project that Reema cannot tackle.

She began her career at a young age as a writer.  Upon graduating from Punjab University, Reema became a journalist, covering the arts scene in India.  Though she was successful and enjoyed her work, she realized that she wanted to work on her own projects.  Through the guidance of editors, she was able to focus her energies on things that interested and intrigued her. 

At first, she dabbled in poetry and freelance journalism. And then, in 2000, she published her first book: a biography of the legendary Bhagat Puran Singh of Amritsar, who she considers her role model.  The book, entitled His Sacred Burden: The Life of Bhagat Puran Singh shed light on the man who devoted his life to helping the flotsam and jetsam of society.

Encouraged by the success of the book, Reema made a documentary on the same topic in order to spread Puran Singh's message further. 

The attention and accolades received by the film made her realize that films had the ability to highlight issues instantly and pervasively. She decided to go forward and make more films focusing on  the causes that needed similar exposure.  She went on to make Sewa: From Paris to Tapovan, a film about Bhagwant Singh Dalawari, a diplomat who spent the final years of his life caring for leprosy patients in India. 

Another film made by Reema was Stringing Pearls in the Valley of Divine Peace, which highlighted Baru Sahib, an institution  established by two remarkable men for educating boys and girls in accordance with the ideals of the Sikh Faith. 

While some of her films focus on the accomplishments of individuals in the Sikh community, others draw attention to problems that afflict that same community. 

An example is her film Punjab: The Enemy Within.  This film focuses on the drug problem that plagues the inhabitants of what used to be one of the most prosperous provinces in India. 

Reema's work, however, does not stop at simply shedding light on problems.  Drawing attention to an issue actually helps bring about possible strategies to rectify ongoing challenges.  For example, alarmed by the escalating drug epidemic in Punjab, Reema started a grassroots organization called ADAP  (Address Drug Abuse in Punjab) where youth who used to be addicted to those substances are trained to be addiction counselors to their peers. 

Reema's commitment to helping people has also borne fruit closer to home: she is involved with HOPE, an NGO that helps the women whose parents were murdered in the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms of Delhi. Realizing that these women have been victimized for virtually all of their lives, Reema decided to start a project which would help empower them. HOPE has set up a unit for these women for the production  and sale of various spices and masala.  Funds donated to the organization helps the women set up stalls at different locations in the city where they can market their wares.  The profit made by the women enables them to live real lives - they can now care for themselves and feed their own children without having to rely on public hand-outs. Furthermore, donors know that their money is not merely feeding into a cycle of dependency.  Instead, the women are being trained to be entrepreneurs, so that they can become productive and contributing members of society. 

When asked what keeps her going, Reema pauses and cites: "the spectre of human pain".  She says she has difficulty in staying aloof when confronted by the plight of any group. Reema also has an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the blessings she enjoys  -  having been blessed with, she says, a successful and loving husband and a vibrant family life, she feels that she is in a position of being able to devote her time in trying to make a difference in the lives of others. 

For Reema, it means more than merely helping those in need.  Through her gift of story-telling through her books and films, she knows that she can do much more  -  that is, help take the message to the masses.  

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