RIFLE RANGE BOY

The Kashmir Files (Hindi; 2022) Writer & Director: Vivek Agnihotri This post would probably draw a lot of flak, especially after Singapore's censors recently banned this film. Singapore's justification for its ban is that it is provocative and gives a one-sided portrayal of Muslims in a horrible light that can potentially cause enmity between communities. According to the affected community depicted in this movie, the Kashmiri Pandits, it is precisely the reason why the film 'Kashmir Files' was made. It claims to be the voice of the descendants of what could simply be put as the original inhabitants of the Cradle of Civilisation. Back in the days, aeons ago, Kashmir was the centre of knowledge; of philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, theology, you name it. It was the place thinkers worldwide used to congregate to unravel the Universe's secrets.  From the 14th century onwards, their peaceful existence went into turmoil with the infiltration of Islamic invaders fro...

Man is a social animal. He finds comfort in numbers. Generations of living in fear of the elements of Nature and wild creatures have made him develop survival instincts. He had become very comfortable in his 'comfort zone'. His senses heightened when the status quo is disturbed. He becomes agitated when there is cognitive dissonance. Any ideas that questioned his accepted hierarchy and structural make-up of his world are met with violence, the most archaic of his primal defences.  Scrolling through the 73-page manifesto issued by the Christchurch shooter, Brenton H Tarrant, a 28-year old man full of hate, one can appreciate the loss of space that everybody feels when one has to share his living area. Most sane people would also empathise the plight of legal immigrants (whom he refers to as invaders) and not shoot at them in cold blood.  Tarrant who labels himself as an eco-fascist believes that all the present world ideologies seem to lead to de...