The Army of Shadows

There are movies and there are "the" movies. Being a fan of neo-realism cinema, I have loved the works of Rossilini nd Satyajit Ray to the core. But, this ones special. Set in the backdrop of Vichy France, this French movie  is an unparalleled tale of valour and heroism in the dark period of WW2. The movie depicts a deadly cat and mouse game between the Nazi Gestapo and the French Resistance fighters in its complete gory capacity. The absolute hopelessness of battling an evil Goliath intricately captured in the camera lens provides us a birds eyes view of what actually happened in those dark days. Many of these fighters met ghastly deaths and were forgotten in unmarked graves. A thought of what the cult figure of Jean Moulin must have gone through in the hideous torture chambers of Gestapo at Hotel Terminus is just left dangling in my mind . That this army was one of the reasons for the fall of the Nazis is a moment to celebrate and cherish

Times have changed. This painful past is a memory to forget and forgive. But, what remains is to observe the present. In a curious thought, I decided to persist to find this army of shadows in our present day society. It was not until on my way cycling for my morning swim, that I saw my army. Armed with brooms, these old ladies were in full bloom cleaning the streets . It was a moment of discovery truly. Often, I failed to spot these helping hands who do this job of cleaning the dirt and muck in the society. Those men who step down the sewers to clean the shit pile or people whom we notice in times of distress are a real boon. In a society obsessed with finding and talking about problems, they are the solutions. I decided to go a step further.I started knowing them better. I now know my watchman better.  These people whom you won't provide a cursory glance let alone respect live in their own world of troubles. In an idea I call the "name" experiment, I just asked them their names. In my conversation, I started referring to them by their names and it created a magical ambience. They became happy that somebody was speaking with respect and as an equal. You could always argue over that they receive money. But, the question remains is whether we would exchange jobs if the income was same? A question better left unanswered in a society which does not profess job equality.

Jean-Pierre Melville's movie ends on a sad note with all its main protagonist  suffering a bitter end. It left my eyes moist as the army disintegrates under the heavy pressure of the Gestapo. But what of the fate of our army. I see a different end for this merry band. As education empowers them, I see them grow and  produce champions. I hope to see  that magnificent rise very soon :-)