GUWAHATI: At a time when witch hunting and mob lynching incidents ignited by superstition and false rumours are holding Assam hostage, Numaligarh Refinery has tied up with NRL Sahitya Sabha to screen a feature film aimed at sensitising people against the menace in rural areas of the state.
The full-length Assamese feature film, Aei Maatite produced by Angeekar Films, was screened across interior locations in Golaghat district of Upper Assam recently.
Special shows were screened at Mahuramukh, Bahikhowa (Bokakhat), Betoni village (Sarupathar), Furkating and Numaligarh, a press statement issued here on Saturday, said.
About 10,000 villagers were touched during the campaign by NRL. Many villagers came to the organisers and demanded more such screening in other interior place, where witch hunting is common. The shows had to be screened with the help of generators in some of the villages that did not have power connections.
Speaking on the special shows by NRL, the director of Aei Maatite, Sitanath Lahkar said, “As the film is based on witch hunting which is affecting people in rural areas and smaller towns, we were particularly interested to take the film to as many places we can. It is encouraging to see a big corporate entity like Numaligarh Refinery come forward to screen the film in remote parts of our state to make people aware against superstition and create scientific temperament in the society.”
“NRL Sahitya Sabha branch deserves high appreciation for implementing the project in association with the company. We wish that more such corporate houses come forward and make a difference on the ground,” Lahkar said.
After its commercial release last year, Aei Maatite, the first Assamese feature film on witch hunting, received appreciation from people from all walks of life.
The film mainly talks about witch hunting and how a section of people are using witchcraft for their own interest.