History is no doubt always painful to read about, watch and internalize but if it starts being used to instil ‘revenge’ or ‘defence’ in the present generation, then it is no more history; it takes the form of a hard, intentioned guideline.
————-
I don’t think I will be able to watch a movie like The Kashmir Files for two reasons. First, since I could not watch Parzania and was not able to hold myself together while watching Firaaq or Schindler’s List, or while reading ‘Lajja’; I know I have a weak heart. Second, because the film’s media promotion is so intensely dramatic and politically overbearing that a historical movie seems like it is being used as a tool for blaming such people who are alive and have the same religious identity as the antagonists in the film. History is no doubt sometimes painful to read about, watch and internalize but if it starts being used to instil ‘revenge’ or ‘defence’ in the present generation, then it is no more history; it takes the form of a hard, intentioned guideline.
There is something about the promotion of the film on social media, which is making me aversive about watching it. When I come across voices of people calling for harm to the current lineage of wrong doers shown in the movie, I feel confused. Going by this logic of baying for vendetta over something that happened over three decades ago, all ties with the western European world must be cut, for there is nothing as horrifying as the colonial past in Indian history. But we all love travelling to London, Amsterdam and Paris, or at least dream of it!
Coming back to my feeling that I may not be able to watch the movie, it probably puts me in a position to remain sane and remember the values I have grown up with being an Indian. Hence, I want to express the idea of ‘love’ in times of something as evocative as The Kashmir Files. I am a Muslim woman who grew up in educational spaces where the majority has always comprised of non-Muslims. This was due to my privilege of affording private education, and because of the reasons which the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee report highlights about the gap educational spaces have for Muslim students. Due to this, all my tales of infatuation, love, best friendship and understanding of trust has been mostly with people who had nothing to do with my accidental religious identity. We built these relationships on feelings, intimacy, understanding, ethical rationality and just the fact that we enjoyed each other’s company. It is not the case that I am not aware of socio-cultural discriminations which decide a lot of relationships in this country. But the emphasis in the former description highlights a strong fabric of the Indian society at least for the people who have been instilled with secularism in the best way possible.
The visuals of the outpouring of hyper-nationalism after watching the movie, with specific slogans, and the effect they are leaving is something to think about deeply. The larger effect would be the seeding of extremism in both the majority and minority communities, both sensing a feeling of insecurity relating to their identity.
Now before coming to exactly what can be seen as the after-effect of people watching the movie, I want to highlight the class of people who access theatres. These belong to a class which can afford such spaces both economically and socially. However, it is a different case altogether when states start sponsoring the public to watch content. I personally feel it should have been for something promoting harmony, not something depicting the history of violence. It could have, perhaps, run like a regular movie. The class, thus, accessing theatres can be seen to be overlapping the class which has access to (private) education, which is supposed to be aware of things like secularism.
The visuals of the outpouring of hyper-nationalism after watching the movie, with specific slogans, and the effect they are leaving is something to think about deeply. This could be creating a wave that is making people look into their pockets of religious identities. The larger effect would be the seeding of extremism in both the majority and minority communities, both sensing a feeling of insecurity relating to their identity. A country, that rebirthed itself with a thoughtful Constitution with an idea of making inclusivity possible without distorting or dismantling anyone’s identity, in such a way, is heading in the wrong direction.
Politics has brought the writer in me to the position that I am deliberately having to make a point that I am still in love with people who may or may not be of my identity. This is probably not what inclusion means, this reinstating for a specific purpose.
Also read: Rakesh Pandita Killing Proves Futility of Violence Once Again
Nevertheless, I am a person obsessed with the idea of love and the power it holds. I know that despite these, times my lover would still love me, my friends will remain my go-to spaces, and my colleagues will remain excellent banks of knowledge that help me learn and grow. That is the power of love. However, what saddens me right now is that politics has brought the writer in me to the position that I am deliberately having to make a point that I am still in love with people who may or may not be of my identity. This is probably not what inclusion means, this reinstating for a specific purpose. My fight in such times is to not fall into this trap of letting the idea of ‘other’ becomes stronger each day, and hoping that more and more people educated in mind and thought join their hands in this too!
(The views expressed are personal.)
