Shikara: A story that has left a lot in me unsettling!

I recently got a chance to watch Shikara: The untold story of Kashmiri Pandits and I must say, being a Kashmiri Muslim who was born post exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, I had to write about it - to somehow put to rest the volcano of thoughts that this story stirred in my head.

First time since its occurrence - 30 years ago, the unheard and rather silenced narrative of Kashmir, the story of Kashmiri Pandits, has been presented as a motion picture. I was skeptical to watch this movie; to be honest, I was afraid. To list a few of my fears: Will this movie portray the communal harmony that prevailed in Kashmir or will it be bigotry of hate and lies? Will this movie touch upon the kryptonite of brutal atrocities that has engulfed Kashmir over the last 70 years or will it brush away those facts? I must say, the story has subtly answered my every doubt – by showing nothing but the truth – in a subtle language of love.  The misery of Kashmiri Pandits is a clot that haunts Kashmir and every Kashmiri to date.  Putting out this narrative was thus much needed and at the same time the need to tell this tale without any concoction was equally important. And, I must say, it has been done aptly.

Starting with the review of the movie: 

Set in the backdrop of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Shikara is a poetic take on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their home - beloved valley of Kashmir. Directed by Mr. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, starring Aadil Khan and Sadia, Shikara is a lament tearing your heart, note after note. Bringing raw, subtle and vulnerable emotions with precision on the screen speaks volumes about the direction and acting. But one thing that has kept me hooked to this movie is its powerful poetry and screenplay. If you haven’t watched this movie, go ahead and watch it. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

A love letter to Kashmir:

While I was working in Delhi, I often found myself writing and longing for Kashmir; if I may share a line:

“Oh! my beloved land of misery, my heart yearns for you…

I never wanted to leave you, never, ever…”

Now imagine what a person who was forced to leave his home must be going through for all these years…?

If summed up, Shikara is a love letter that a Kashmiri Pandit would write to his long-lost beloved home, Kashmir. And what a person writes to his lost beloved after decades of separation?  He shares his tales of yearning, misery, longing, fear that overtook him, agony and love he had for her all along. He will ask how his beloved how she has been, and if I may go ahead and write that he will also shed a tear to see the miseries of his beloved, too – the only part which hasn’t been given much importance in the movie; but if you see keenly, you may find the art of subtle nuance even touching that point, too, somehow.

There is a powerful scene in the movie - where Shiv Dhar, played by Aadil Khan narrates an absolutely heartbreaking poem, “Ae wadi shehzadi, bolo kaisi ho?” (Oh! my valley, my princess, how have you been?), composed by Irshad Kamil, on his return to Kashmir after 21 years of his exodus; which, I would say carries the essence of this “love letter to Kashmir”.Listen the song here!

When your home is no longer a safe haven:

There’s a famous Kashmiri saying by Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA) - “Gare wandai ghare sasa, bareh nyerhai ne zah.”

(Oh, home! I can offer you 1000 homes, and just won’t leave your doors.)

The only thing that is keeping us safe from the ongoing pandemic these days is our home. Imagine how bad things would have been back in days that the only option left with Kashmiri Pandits was to leave their homes and a life lived in it behind! This breaks my heart. Was it really tough for the then government in-charge to provide security to these people? Or was facilitating their exodus an easy option available to them? Why hasn’t anything been done over these years to bring them back? Every local Kashmiri – Muslim, Sikh, and Pandits who still stay here - want their Kashmiri Pandit brothers to come back to the valley and live with them – just like it was back in time. After all who has been benefited from this exodus?  With Pandits being displaced in a land far away from home and local Kashmiri continuing to fall prey to human rights violations, last 30 years have used Kashmiri - both Muslim, Sikh and Pandit as a cannon fodder ensuring that Kashmir continues to remain a burning paradise. 

 What does the future hold for Kashmiri Pandits:

As the movie ends, a sneak peek into the abandoned, burnt houses of Kashmiri Pandits, which are locally referred to as “Batte Makan”  - with a Kashmiri Song “Dilbar Lagyo” in the backdrop – just leaves you doomed.  Listen to the song here!

It's sad that the new generation of Kashmiri Pandits – born post exodus – have no belongingness with Kashmir. The people who left the in their youth are the last surviving lineage of Kashmiri Pandits carrying the essence of Kashmiryat. Hence, the need to establish some meaningful measures to ensure their arrival in the valley is necessary.

It’s bizarre that one of the pressing points made by the government to abrogate Article 370 from the Constitution of India on August 5, 2019, was done in the name of Kashmiri Pandits. However, the truth be told - Kashmiri Pandits were already state subjects of J&K, and with no state subject in place now, their road to home is filled with more hurdles now. If this wasn’t enough, we have a new Domicile Law for the UT of J&K and we must ponder what provisions does it has for Kashmiri 

Pandits?

In my humble attempt, I have translated this lament composed by Mr. Bashir Arif

 Oh! Beloved, I lost myself only to find you;

If only I could ever repay it somehow…

I will have to sail through the ocean of fire called love;

If only I could ever repay it somehow…

I have fallen like a wounded yet victorious soldier in the battle of love;

My only loss would be watching you walk away.    

  I whisper the miseries of my broken heart to the morning breeze…

“Find the reason for his resentment towards me!”, I plea

“Get me the answer, next time you brush through my tresses and leave me off my miseries.”

“Ask him to see me just once, for only he can turn my scars into heaven roses.”

Tell him… “If only I could repay it all somehow, anyhow?"

Love from a Kashmiri Muslim:

I know many Kashmiri Pandits; many of whom are just like my family. I have heard personal accounts of how bad the situation was in Kashmir during the 90s. Kashmiri Pandits did not die just of bullets only, many died of Snake or Scorpio bites in refugee tents, while many simply died in longing for Kashmir. It shakes my belief to even think about what all we as a community have undergone for all these years, but the only thing that I have a resolute belief in is the undying love and Kashmiryat that bonds the sons of Kashmir – Muslim, Sikh, and Pandit together.

Things in Kashmir have been bad – without a doubt; but getting through it together will be easy. If I may quote something from my book: The Crimson Curse – Autumn and Unrequited Love, “It’s better to perish where one is born. No matter how miserable the situation at home is, embracing the death of hopes at home is always less painful.”

Image Courtesy: Vidhu Vinod Chopra Film

Author: Shuja Tasleem (Writer)

Email: shuja.tasleem.st@gmail.com