The Lessons from Newton

On Friday as part of the 75th Independence Day Celebrations the College Union held a film screening. The movie was "Newton", Amit Masurkar's critically acclaimed work starring Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Thripati and Anjali Patil in lead roles. The film delivers an apt message as India celebrates it's 75 years of freedom. The premise revolves around Newton, an upright and young UD clerk on election duty at a remote tribal village, deemed unsafe due to Maoist attacks and under the constant vigilance of the army. 
                 It raises some stinging questions about our democracy, government machinery and ultimately the powerlessness of the people. Newton, an idealist, faces the realization that he is working within an inherently flawed system, and that being dutiful is not enough to save it. In Aatma Singh we see another victim of the system who chooses to be indifferent to theses flaws and work along with it. It's not easy to pick a villain or a victor because ultimately everyone is a loser. The movie with it's dry and sarcastic humor underlines masterfully the challenges that still haunt modern India. 

A very relevant piece of advice that Newton receives from a senior officer is something along the lines of not to be arrogant about being honest. Being an honest and dutiful govt servant is expected and not a bragging point. As young aspirants for government jobs I felt that this was worth understanding. It is a given that our ideals will be challenged and questioned when we choose to work within a system that is still a work in progress. And Newton offers a fresh and poignant perspective of such a challenge.

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