Sukhpreet Kahlon
In completing 10 years of its inception, the Khwaja Ahmed Abbas Trust accomplishes a key milestone. As we look back on the work on our work, through the cultural events, publications, seminars, exhibitions and film screenings, contemplating the journey that lies ahead, I am reminded of the film Jagte Raho (1956). Written by Abbas, directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra and produced by Raj Kapoor, the film depicts the journey of a man desperately in search of water. As we are taken through the locked gates of apartment complexes, which seal in the prejudices, fears and insecurities of the city dwellers, we start to question who needs to be awakened and for what. Abbas Sahab’s films have been seen as having a relevance well beyond their time. As a progressive writer, journalist and filmmaker, his engagement with socio-political issues along with his humanist ideals, were reflected in all of his works. With universal themes that resonate with audiences even decades later, Abbas's films were his vehicle for social reform. In today’s world besieged by long raging wars between nations, the migrant crisis, climate crisis, and a constant struggle for freedom and civil liberties, his oeuvre continues to urge us to remain awake and aware of our society, its ills and prejudices, perhaps now more than ever. After all, ‘Zindagi Khwaab Hai’, and we have to work continuously to fashion the dream into reality.