Level Up: Short film highlights 20-year battle for accessible public transport in Indian cities

CHENNAI: Rajiv Rajan lost opportunities because of disability and had to build his own house in Perumbakkam that was completely adapted to suit his needs. However, he achieved that accessibility by staying away from the city. Sujatha from a resettlement colony is wary about her space in this ever-expanding urban city. Sathish Kumar R explores the city with his motorised wheelchair. Still, he finds it difficult to access the public transport.

All these stories come to light with Level Up, a short film about universal accessibility of public transport by Archanaa Sekar, Bhargav Prasad, and Pavithra Sriram. Hosted by the Charles Correa Foundation, the Nagari Film Competition is designed to guide and develop films focusing on urban issues in Indian cities. The theme for this year’s grant is Mobility in Urban India and Level Up is the only one from south India. The screening of the film took place at the Museum of Possibilities Cafe recently.

“The criteria for the grant was that the team should consist of an activist, a filmmaker and an urban planner. I have been working with different groups and collectives for more than a decade on a range of issues. We wanted to use this opportunity to shed light on the two-decade battle for accessible public transport,” starts Archanaa Sekar, a writer, researcher and activist.

As she worked with the members of the Disability Rights Alliance (DRA), she understood what accessibility means, how denial of that has led to the loss of opportunities and what is universal design. “Universal design is building infrastructure that is accessible to everyone,” adds Pavithra, an urban planner.

Level Up highlights the 20-year battle for low-floor buses, which was granted a few weeks ago. “These buses make boarding easy for a disabled person, pregnant women, people carrying heavy loads from markets, senior citizens, children and also mothers with strollers. Ironically, the wooden ramp on Marina Beach was installed after the initiative by the members of DRA. And, we can see a lot of people flocking to it because it makes the walk easier. The fight for universal design is initiated by people with disabilities. But the fruit of which is enjoyed by everyone,” Archanaa shares.

“Archanaa, Pavithra and I have worked on various projects before, mostly focusing on the city. The major challenge was to bring in the struggles, resistance and strive of the 20-year battle in an eight-minute 30-second short film. Instead of focusing on the victimisation of disabled people, I wanted to highlight the other side of how they overcome day-to-day hurdles,” says Bhargav, who handled the cinematography and editing of the film.

“Even for an able-bodied pedestrian, it is hard to commute in the city. We are used to adjusting to the existing state of footpaths and buses we have. This film is a great tool to sensitise people about the people around them. In several public projects, there is discontent about putting ramps because it spoils the beauty of the existing infrastructure. But the ramp helps a section of people. We need a public design commission, which regulates any public project and approves designs from the lens of equity, gender and accessibility,” states Pavithra, an urban planner who undertakes public projects.

Affected by cerebral palsy, Sathish Kumar R is a member of DRA and he is featured in Level Up. “I have to use buses frequently because the metro train is not all over the city and a few cabs and autos cannot adjust my wheelchair. Low-floor buses can make life easier for us as it help us to board the bus without any pain or difficulty. Lack of accessibility seizes the opportunities to study and work from us. I feel that the barriers are within the society and not people. If accessibility becomes universal, people’s mindset will gradually change and inclusivity can be achieved,” he believes.

Bhargav opines that films like these will bring a change in perspective about universal accessibility. “Though we have won the 20-year struggle, there is a long way to go for making public transport accessible for everyone,” Archanaa concludes.