Jesuit education influences filmmaker

Ranjan Kamath

Jesuit values have helped a Catholic documentary filmmaker to look at social issues differently, and do his part to spread Christian values in practice.

Ranjan Kamath says his 17 years of education at St. Xavier's Collegiate School and College in Kolkata, eastern India, has helped him become sensitive to social issues and problems.

Kamath, 47, was at Max Mueller Bhavan, the German training center, in Kolkata, Dec. 16 to present his 75- minute documentary film, "Tanvir ka safarnama" (Tanvir's travelogue).

The film, culled out from 125 hours of recording, deals with the "making of an essentially Indian drama" by late Habib Tanvir, a Muslim playwright, in Chhattisgarh, a central Indian state.

Kamath told UCA News he uses documentary films to discuss social problems in the country, and that the Jesuits have helped him look at reality differently. He says he has made four films on social issues, ranging from casteism to rural theater.

He says the humanism his Jesuit teachers had taught him is projected in his films and it also helps him connect to people of other religions.

Kamath, and his friends, mostly past students of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, launched last January C+ve, a social networking group, which is committed to social change through non-violence.

C+ve refers to "see positively," and implies that true citizenship is to engage in a process of change in the nation, Kamath explained.

The group started in July "Billion Beejams" (seedlings), a nationwide project to green the nation, through afforestation program.

The members request various groups to donate five rupees (some US$0.09) to green one square foot of the nation.

They use the money to provide jobs to village women to plant trees, Kamath said and added all these activities help him practice his Christian values.

Jesuit Father Albert Huart, who taught Kamath political science, says many past students have joined social works influenced by their Jesuit teachers. However, the 85-year-old Belgian Jesuit was "pleasantly surprised" to know a student made films on social issues.

Jesuit Brother Thomas Carlo, who manages Chitrabani (sight-sound), says the Jesuit-managed media center had had helped Kamath shape his skills in media, during college days.

He said that Kamath's uncle, late Jesuit Father Joe Naidu, who was involved with communication media, had influence his nephew.