Haider (2014)
It turned out to be not a film depicting the plight of the Kashmiris but rather a retelling of Hamlet with the beautiful Kashmir in the background the internal squabble as the country as its backdrop. Even though the movie makes it appear as though there is just bloodshed, guns and terrorism in this snow-covered paradise on earth, much of its past history remains untold.
People tend to assume Kashmir had always been a Muslim majority country where India is trying to exert its influence, but its citizens want out. There are much more than meets the eye.
Kashmir was a revered place from time immemorial for seekers of knowledge and epistemology. It was the destination for many sages the world over. Hinduism, Shiva Taitrism, planted itself firmly here as early as 3rd century BCE. The populace was considered highly literate and skilled. The turning point came in the form of invaders. A particularly Muslim ruler by the name of Sikander Bhutshikan (1394-1417), an iconoclast, was hellbent on destroying non-Islamic symbols and enforced widespread proselytisation. Naturally, the Hindu Pandits escaped in droves to other parts of India and Kashmir became a Muslim-dominant country. Many Hindus remain closeted, only outwardly Muslims.
King Ranjit Singh united Punjab, Afghanistan, Kashmir all the way to Tibet, but his successors lost Jammu and Kashmir to the East India Company in the first Anglo-British War in 1846. The British started the Hindu Dogra dynasty. It was Hari Singh, its descendant, who was the King of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 who decided to join neither India nor Pakistan. It stood an Independent sovereign state.
Trouble started soon after Independence. Pakistani troops masquerading as Pashtun tribal groups infiltrated into Kashmir to take over the country. The 1st Indo-Pak war started when Maharajah Hari Singh asked for help and agreed for ascension into the Indian Dominion. The battle, however, ended in a deadlock with India controlling a third of the country and Pakistan the other third.
Sheikh Abdullah was appointed the head of Jammu and Kashmir by Nehru. He had earlier led a rebellion against Hari Singh was had been imprisoned before. Sheikh ruled the state with special powers accorded to him via Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. His reign was marred with many insurgencies, Islamisation pogroms and terrorist activities with help from Pakistan. There were hardly any economic activities or development, but only a high tension volatile environment. More Sikhs and Hindus exited from their ancestral land seeking a better life since the 1980s.
Many talented writers now settled elsewhere, have penned their doggone experiences in Kashmir in many of their heart-wrenching writing set in their once serene homeland. With the aberration of Article 370, India hopes to bring development and a semblance of peace in the region. Unfortunately, foreign media keeps stirring undue tension and anxiety amongst the people of the area to keep up their sales.
It turned out to be not a film depicting the plight of the Kashmiris but rather a retelling of Hamlet with the beautiful Kashmir in the background the internal squabble as the country as its backdrop. Even though the movie makes it appear as though there is just bloodshed, guns and terrorism in this snow-covered paradise on earth, much of its past history remains untold.People tend to assume Kashmir had always been a Muslim majority country where India is trying to exert its influence, but its citizens want out. There are much more than meets the eye.
Kashmir was a revered place from time immemorial for seekers of knowledge and epistemology. It was the destination for many sages the world over. Hinduism, Shiva Taitrism, planted itself firmly here as early as 3rd century BCE. The populace was considered highly literate and skilled. The turning point came in the form of invaders. A particularly Muslim ruler by the name of Sikander Bhutshikan (1394-1417), an iconoclast, was hellbent on destroying non-Islamic symbols and enforced widespread proselytisation. Naturally, the Hindu Pandits escaped in droves to other parts of India and Kashmir became a Muslim-dominant country. Many Hindus remain closeted, only outwardly Muslims.
Trouble started soon after Independence. Pakistani troops masquerading as Pashtun tribal groups infiltrated into Kashmir to take over the country. The 1st Indo-Pak war started when Maharajah Hari Singh asked for help and agreed for ascension into the Indian Dominion. The battle, however, ended in a deadlock with India controlling a third of the country and Pakistan the other third.
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| Martand Sun Temple Kashmir.
The director was embroiled in controversy
after staging a devil dance here.
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Many talented writers now settled elsewhere, have penned their doggone experiences in Kashmir in many of their heart-wrenching writing set in their once serene homeland. With the aberration of Article 370, India hopes to bring development and a semblance of peace in the region. Unfortunately, foreign media keeps stirring undue tension and anxiety amongst the people of the area to keep up their sales.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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