Documentary on Eashwari Bai to be screened at World Film Festival

Agnisikha' a documentary on late J Eshwari Bai, will be screened at 4th Indian World Film Festival-20 in Hyderabad at Siest

Hitech (Kondapur) on the occasion of International Women's Day. She was an Indian politician, a Member of the Legislative Assembly and president of the Republican Party of India.

She worked for the upliftment of the backward classes and women who were subjected to slavery and caste discrimination for generations.

Eshwari Bai's daughter and Congress leader Dr J Geetha Reddy speaking about the film, says that it was her idea to come up with the documentary.

"She brought me up as a single parent and provided everything for my education till I became a doctor and did my post-graduation in abroad. I married a doctor and came back and settled in Hyderabad to run a hospital.

All these were her dreams and I am happy I fulfilled them. Every year my mother's birth and death anniversary are celebrated on a grand scale and from 1992 onwards, we held the fete at the Eshwari Bai Memorial Trust.

She is an iconic leader, hardly found such women during 50s and 60s. She was filled with so much confidence and was wedded to the ideology of Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Further she says, "The champion of the downtrodden, in 1991 she passed away leaving a legacy of women empowerment and inspiration. She had contested in 1951 as a councillor against the ruling party, and won because of her selfless service rendered to public from all spheres.

Though she was known as a Dalit icon, but she was always there for every community, especially women. Even as a child I used to see battered women beaten by husbands sharing their agony with my mother.

In those days, she had the foresight of empowering women. She taught these women from poorer and weaker sections candle making, tailoring and other vocations to make them independent. I have seen tailoring and candle-making classes being conducted our veranda in Chilkalguda."

Speaking of her mother's hard work, she says, "Due to her popularity among people, she won became a councillor twice and later became MLA twice from Yellareddy and Nizamabad constituencies.

Being an Ambedkarite, she became the president of Republican Party of India which was founded by Ambedkar. By the time of her death she was the All India RPI President."

Geeta Reddy says that she was inspired by her mother in each and everything. She also adds "I, as a daughter, saw her unusual courage, self-confidence and success without any political and financial support. An unusual story of a Dalit lady in those days. She became a colossus for me."

"My mother trained me how to live life and whatever I am today is because of her. So, I decided to come up with the documentary commemorating centenary birth anniversary of her mother in 2018.

She collected real life incidents and the speeches she made in assembly and all recordings which are available in archives. And we spoke to people who were much younger than us who told her story apart from what I know. This has become an impactful documentary."

She shares, "When I became a minster in Congress party, I went up to her and said "Maa I became a minister and my swearing in was going to happen in one hour please come.

She said, listen how can I come, yours is a different party and mine is a different party". No mother would do that unless they had so much value. Then how will you see me, when asked, she said on Television I will see you taking the oath."

She further says, "Everyone used to call her fire brand politician in English so I named this documentary as 'Agnisikha'.

The director is very young his name is Satya Kama Jadali. Who was inspired by my mother and we made this 35-minute film, but you cannot fill up whole life in these 35-minute film.

We decided to take her story forward for the rest of the country, so we entered documentary into few film festivals, and I am happy to tell you that we won four awards. Overall, we got six laurels which means the film was accepted that itself speaks a lot for screening.

This time the 4th Indian World Film Festival-20 is happening in Hyderabad so I am proud that her film has been accepted for screening."

About women's day, she says "Every day is women's day. How can world exist without women? Women are not getting recognition even till today. A woman is a mother, sister, daughter and wife, she does everything to raise the family."