One of the rare documentaries to have got a theatrical release, Amlan Datta?s Bom?aka One Day Ahead of Democracy is loaded with ancient legends, visual metaphors, philosophy and piercing questions about the status and form of present-day democracy and politics

The Gods resided in these mountains. There are Mt Virtue and Mt Vice. Between them is a man who came to harm the gods. To snatch away their powers. The gods here turned him into stone. This depicts the ratio of virtue and vice in the world. On the right is Mt Vice and on the left is Mt Virtue. In between is the man who was turned into stone. People say when Mt Virtue melts entirely, the whole world will come to an end. Initially, Mt Virtue was bigger than Mt Vice. Now, Mt Vice looks much bigger,? narrates a local as the camera sets its gaze on the twin snow-capped peaks. The clouds travel their way across the peaks , looking cold, haunting, calm and serene, all at the same time. Then they cover Mt Vice, it disappears behind the thick white sheet, only the man and virtue remain. Then slowly, the man is engulfed too, and virtue disappears last. This could mean so much more than just a shot recorded on tape. But then, all of the 117 minutes of Amlan Datta?s Bom?aka One Day Ahead of Democracy is loaded with ancient legends, visual metaphors, philosophy and piercing questions about the status and form of present-day democracy and politics.

Tucked away in the mighty Himalayas at an altitude of over 3,000 metres is the ancient and isolated hamlet of Malana in Himachal Pradesh, considered to be one of the world?s first democracies. There are legends, myths and stories about Malana that have travelled far and wide. And Datta was seduced by these legends enveloping the visually enthralling village. ?I went there to witness, firsthand, an ancient, Oriental form of democracy that predates modern civilisation and had continued for thousands of years. And I went looking for the world?s best hashish,? says 41-year-old Datta, a Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) graduate. Five years in the making and the winner of multiple national and international awards and accolades, including the Silver Lotus for the best ethnographic film at the 59th Indian National Film Awards, Bom is one of those rare Indian documentaries that got a theatrical release when it hit screens at various PVR theatres in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune on November 23. The film was made on a R1.2-crore budget. It was supported by The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Jan Vrijman Fund, Amsterdam, and co-produced by NHK?Japan Broadcasting Corporation. It is slated for a re-release in January 2013, this time starting from Kolkata.

As mentioned by Datta, one of the legends of Malana, albeit a modern and largely urban legend, is its reputation for producing Malana Cream, the local hashish considered second to none in the world. Democracy and cannabis would seem two disjointed subjects for us urban folk, but they somehow converge in Malana. ?I went there first in 2007 with an Election Commission team to follow their process of photo electoral roll. The people, their stories, their legends and their social system intrigued me and impressed me enough to visit again and again. I never realised when I became one of them,? says Datta, who has strong views on democracy as it is largely practiced in India. ?I feel voting is the cheapest way to get out of a problem. That doesn?t mean that I don?t have faith in democracy. I believe in the democracy of consensus, of which Malana is one of the last remaining specimens. In their society, they select by consensus rather than electing by vote,? he adds. As modern democracy comes knocking on Malana?s door, the film tracks the village for five years and shows how the society there is ?divided and their own trust-based democratic system is being eroded with an imposition of modern western democracy and so called development?. Datta confesses that he developed an early detestation about the country?s politics while growing up in Kolkata, witnessing the height of political violence there. The lens is on what the villagers in Malana think of modern politics, a view that can be termed as averse as that of Datta?s. ?Our own system was good enough. It was perfect?. I wish I was born here a hundred years ago. We arrived at a very wrong time indeed,? says a young inhabitant of Malana.

Cannabis has been a part of the social practice and fabric here. It?s a source of livelihood, and the villagers consider it a natural endowment. It grows naturally in this valley and is used for multiple purposes, from making ropes to ethnic shoes, apart from, of course, consumption. ?That?s where I am all for decriminalisation of cannabis. The ban on it just leads to more mafias, exploitation and persecution of the locals and large-scale smuggling. Its consumption hasn?t gone down,? asserts Datta, who refuses to call it a drug. ?Intoxication is a part of any society, including ours. Cannabis finds substantial mention in our religion, culture and history. Why can?t it be legally available like alcohol and tobacco? These substances are extremely harmful but are consumed openly,? he adds. Bom also delves into the cannabis debate with even senior political leaders like Virbhadra Singh batting for its decriminalisation in Datta?s film. That?s where he links self-rule, democracy, consensus and cannabis.

His journey to Malana and his association with its people, their lives, livelihoods and ecosystem has blurred the line between a film maker and an activist. Datta has been accused of pseudo-activism and promoting cannabis trade. But unperturbed, this three-time National Award winner says he is no philosopher and he might not have all the answers, but why should that mean that he should stop asking questions? ?I?m an artist and I never wanted to be an activist. When I went to Malana for the first time, I never thought that the film will turn out to be like this. But looking at the state of affairs there, coupled with their stories, I couldn?t keep quiet. Someone had to tell their story. I just chose to do that,? he says. Datta also runs the Bom-Bom Charitable Trust for the welfare of the people of Malana, seeking to provide sources of livelihood for their sustainable development.His realist, brazenly unapologetic film has, to an extent, brought Malana and its story in the mainstream, including some pertinent questions. It can be called many things but it?s essentially the story of the life in transition of a people who are traditionally considered descendants of the Aryans (some traditions also consider them the remnants of Alexander?s army) and who speak the autochthonous language Kanashi (considered the language of Rakshasas) And what does Datta mean by ?one day ahead of democracy?? ?It means various things. For one, it?s about taking our democracy a day ahead of itself to something better and more representative,? he responds. He then quips and is quick to add, ?You remember those twin peaks of Mt Vice and Mt Virtue in the film? That place is a day?s trek from Malana, the truest possible form of democracy that I have witnessed in my life.?