The Kashmir Files-a film based on
the exodus of Kashmiris Pundits from Kashmir is an attempt to uncover the
distortions of the history of Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir Files is a 2022
Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri.
Produced by Zee Studios, the film
is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus during the onset of Kashmir
Insurgency. It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi
Joshi. Such distortions are not limited only to Kashmir and go back to the
Vedic period, and these biases were deliberately created by the invaders who
attacked Bharat. Sadly such distortions were supported by the scholars groomed
by colonial scholarships. There has been a synergetic struggle to deny any
Hindu Identity, Hindu history or eternal values of Hinduism. This strategy was
further extended to deprive the rightful Identity of Bharat and its history and
ancient civilisation.
The film almost made everyone
cry, but many didn’t cry. It would have been easy to cry, but it takes a lot of
effort not to cry because it is an act of conscious restraint when confronted
with the bestiality of wretchedness. Globally all communities have suffered
some less, some more, which makes us all equal & human.
It was the 19th of January, 1990,
and days were cold and nights bitter, though there was no snow on the ground.
By 10 PM, many people collectively raised thunderous Islamic and pro-Pakistan
slogans by pro-Pakistan elements and relayed through powerful loudspeakers
almost pierced eardrums. Though KPs were used to such slogans, the timing and
synergy of tumultuous bang and loudspeakers was the cause of concern. Suddenly
telephone bells rang; each caller on the other end of the line asked their
relative, friend or acquaintance whether they were safe. This question carried
more meaning beneath its simple words. KPs were asked to come out of their
houses on that dark and dreary night and see themselves strange scenes on
streets and in open places unfolding.
Crowds of the Muslim population,
young, old, children, and women, came out of their homes jampacked the streets,
gesticulating vigorously and yelling slogans in favour of Islam, Pakistan and
the insurgency. People carried rugs, carpets, mats and furnishing and spread it
out on the streets and squares. They brought wood and lit bonfires to keep
their bodies warm. People sat, squatted, danced, shook fists, made violent
gestures as loudspeakers were fixed and microphones blurred a mix of religious
verses, revolutionary songs, anti-India vitriolic and the supremacy of Islamic
faith, all by turn making rounds from one to another speaker, each speaker more
rabid firebrand than his predecessor. This rant and rave continued till the
early hours of the following day. The message went to the Hindus that they were
in the line of fire.
Frightened like pigeons, they
hold up in their nests throughout the night. Not a single soul came out of his
house to go to the temple for prayers or to Hari Parbat heights to pay usual obeisance
to the deity.
On the one hand, the night-long
tirade against KPs and lionising of Islamic warlords snatched whatever remnant
of peace of mind they were left with. The question that caused them grave
distress was how they could live in the Valley of Kashmir without the goodwill
of the majority community. They have had centuries of excellent and brotherly
relations. Overnight their Muslim brothers had become their worst enemies as
they threw their masks which they wore for centuries. Suspicion loomed largely
among Muslims and Hindus of the Valley of Kashmir. This single night of
defiance and revolt paralysed the govt machinery, and not a single policeman
was visible anywhere in the city the following day. From the next day, it was
the rule of the mosque, the priest and the anti-national forces. Loudspeakers
fixed to mosque tops blurred uninterruptedly, cautioning the Hindus to leave
the Valley. Nevertheless, the hate campaign carried forward through barbaric
and inhuman means of violence struck fear among the entire KPs population.
The eviction of KPs from the
Valley in Kashmir was only the latest.
Before this, many such
displacements took place. Nevertheless, the largest exoduses fled their
homeland for fear of being persecuted. This was a genocide. They went together
with so much bloodshed, anguish, chaos and suffering. The injustice and
callousness they faced were shocking. Beyond everything, they were not refugees
from another country but were rendered homeless and stateless in their
nation-India. What was their fault? In a state where our external and internal
enemies wanted to break from India and turn into an Islamic republic. Hence the
cry of Azadi-freedom. Freedom from what? From Hindu-majority India.
Sh Jagmohan, who was then
Governor of the erstwhile state of J&K, sent enough warning signals, but no
attention was paid by those sitting at the helm of affairs. The forgiving and
lenient attitude was inherent in the politics of deception and duplicity of the
state. In tiny minor matters, hypocrisy and unproductivity were interwoven.
Most politicians were adapted in speaking dual voices, one for the state and
the other for the nation. This politics created different illusions for
different actors of the drama. They continued to operate without checks and
balances.
Some underlying forces command
the life of a nation, and such forces comprise the concealed channels of its
social and political setup. Religion is one of these channels, which is most
potent and essential. Throughout the history of humanity, religion has remained
a powerful tool, despite its merits and demerits. In Kashmir, the religious
orders of Sufis and Rishis had inbuilt sources of love, harmony, compassion,
holiness, etc. Still, unfortunately, these traditions were not rejuvenated, not
refashioned to narrow down the differences between the two communities. This
was undoubtedly a leadership failure since independence.
Article 370 of the Indian
Constitution was one of the most robust roots which fomented separatism and
alienation in Jammu and Kashmir. It had a chequered backdrop.
Three decades have passed, the
wounds of the exiled Kashmiri Hindus have not healed. However, they have still
not lost hope of returning to their homeland someday. Every cloud has a silver
lining.
Source:- Click Here
This is free guest posting website
for everyone. Please share your content with us so we will share your ideas
with the help of our website.
