Spirit of the soil

MITTI: EK NAYI PEHCHAAN BRINGS FARMER ISSUES TO THE FORE THROUGH THE EYES OF A YOUNG PROTAGONIST WHO RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS

- CHAITANYA CHANDAN

REGULAR VIEWERS of streaming platforms know by now that “rural life” has become a prominent genre for Indian movies and series. The recent string of web series, especially, strives to shine a light on different aspects of life in India’s villages—while the four-season-strong Panchayat is centred around the local governance system, the newer Gram Chikitsalay shows how healthcare is addressed in villages. Dupahiya, another recent series, shows how the practice of dowry is still casually prevalent among communities in rural areas and towns.

And in all these series, there have been characters, episodes or conversations highlighting farmer issues—crop failure due to weather vagaries, debt and economic losses, inadequate remuneration and lack of investment in agricultural technologies. These subjects are not lost on anyone in the country today. But while they may be subplots in other series or movies, they are brought right to the fore in Mitti: Ek Nayi Pehchaan. The eight-episode series, launched on Amazon MX Player in July, centres around the experiences of a city-based professional who returns to his village and his family’s agricultural roots.