Pedaling to Freedom
Encyclopedia
Pedaling to Freedom
Pedaling to Freedom is a documetary film scripted, edited and directed by Vijay S. Jodha http://www.d-word.com/people/vijayjodhaPedaling to Freedom
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Synopsis
India boasts of many globally reputed institutions of higher education, yet suffers from widespread illiteracy especially among the female population.Pedaling to Freedom is a documentary film set in Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
district of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The film revisits a unique, year-long initiative that took place there in 1993, in what used to be one of the poorest parts of the world.http://www.unesco.org/education/literacy_2001/india.shtml As a result of this initiative 230,000 people learnt to read and write. Over 100,000 women learnt to ride the bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
. Wages jumped up 1000% It happened in the space of just one year and cost less than one and a half dollars per person! The film relies on interviews with those who were associated with the project. Featured prominently is Kannammal, an insurance company office assistant took leave from work to volunteer for the project.http://www.un.org/works/sub3.asp?lang=en&id=58 She served as a central coordinator and at the end of the project went back to her office where she remains an office assistant.http://209.85.175.132/search?q=cache:Zge9roZ9B-UJ:portal.unesco.org/education/en/files/32706/10926483391Fromlife_toliteracylife.pdf/Fromlife_toliteracylife.pdf+Kannammal+%2B+cycle+%2B+literacy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=in&client=firefox-a
Mobility
Motion (physics)
In physics, motion is a change in position of an object with respect to time. Change in action is the result of an unbalanced force. Motion is typically described in terms of velocity, acceleration, displacement and time . An object's velocity cannot change unless it is acted upon by a force, as...
was seen as an important tool for empowerment
Empowerment
Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
and in addition to reading and writing, women were taught how to ride the bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
. http://www.ignou.ac.in/igun_gentr/m1act6.htm The film captures the conditions in the district including cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
classes for women where men often gather to crack jokes and taunt women trying to learn cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
. The filmmaker has also used archival footage and stills. The film highlighted the partnership between public and private bodies as well as work of 25,000 volunteers that made it all possible.http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2007/12/14/stories/2007121450500400.htm
External links
- Pedaling to Freedom - Watch trailer http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=BqZIOFDGxZI