11:30am March 11 2022
Time just froze for me again.
And almost three hours later, when I was reminded by the cleaning staff that it was time to leave, I was still Numb. Stunned. Shaken. shivering.
Today I went all alone to the theatre before I go for a group viewing with a huge group of KPs tomorrow. Alone, because I wanted to cry unabashedly alone. I had cried over every trailer clip already. So I was sure I would cry endlessly. But surprisingly, I didn’t as much. Just because I was too stunned, too frozen and too shocked to see it all unfold on screen.
Stunned. Shaken. Shivering.
The movie captures a lot of painful reality and lived trauma in under 3 hours of story telling, while even maintaining a substantial balance of narratives.
But as a Kashmiri Hindu myself, the movie captures our lived memory. Rips off band aids that we had administered to keep silence. A pain that we swept under the carpet in an effort to get on with life, a pain the world at large anyway had turned a blind eye to. A lived trauma that a few of us even spoke much of because, what difference will it make, who will listen? Till, social media came along.
But by then, decades had already passed. And our lived history already branded a myth, a Hindu propaganda. We, the 2% minority of the valley had been branded oppressive majority by media, our killers wined n dined with PMs and Lutyens elite. Even the eminent Lordships of Supreme Court snubbed us and told us to forget what had happened and move on to uphold secular chatter of the country. We had truly gotten lost in pages of time within just few years. That’s why this one movie is a landmark for us all.
Our Schindler’s List… indeed.
Nothing may change for us Kashmiri Hindus. This movie won’t change our destiny. But, as an Indian, seeing more Kashmiris take roots across India is far more traumatic. This movie, if seen by all Indians – could bring about awareness to prevent that. After all, those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
And that’s what I have often told folks over years or written in my blogs. Greatest help our country can do to us is that rest of the country learn from what happened to us. And pledge never to let it repeat. This movie can surely be a milestone on that road of awareness and awakening.
Its a tough movie to watch though. Almost 3 hours of nerve wrecking facts being thrown at you. Its a long history class that many may not find nerve for. But it’s history that we are still damn in middle of. That still is developing around us. That is still shaping narratives and future of our land. History that is still unfolding. History that’s is yet to be fully written. So we surely can’t brush it away. By being aware, we may just be able to write a better history for future generations to be proud of.
The amazing thing about this movie is that that every event shown in the movie, even the most gruesome ones, are based on real happenings. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri indeed stands true to his claims that everything is backed by his four years of research and everything is factual. Hanging of Pandit Sarvanam Koul Premi and his son, killing of BK Ganjoo in his attic, feeding blood soaked rice to his wife, rape and cutting of Girija Tickoo on a bandsaw, the Nadimarg/Wandhama massacres, boastful interview by terrorist Bitta given to Manoj Rajvanshi (of NewsTrack), connivance of Farooq Abdullah, buddyship between Arundhati Roy and Yasin Malik, and many more subtle nuances quoted. Every single thing shown is based on real events and facts.
Of course, nitpickers will still find something to quibble about just coz all these were woven into a single story, the sequencing of events, the combining of doings of several terrorist orgs into one character, abundant use of Kashmiri dialogues that larger audience may find difficulties with, the use of Mussorie terrain to depict downtown Srinagar which is flat terrain otherwise. Even I had some. But that’s all immaterial.
The point is this is the first time our side of story has been told point blank and without sugar coating. And it’s important more and more people see it. And hear our side of story. Next generation of Kashmiri Hindus who have grown away from their roots and largely unaware of our story. Almost as clueless as Krishna Pandit himself. And all non Kashmiris too because there may not be another one for decades hereon. Especially non Kashmiris and even more if you are one who thinks this is propaganda. Don’t dismiss it without seeing the facts. It’s overbearing and unpalatable no doubt.
But that’s what truth always is..
