[Reader-list] Report on the Screening of Jash-e-Azadi at Yale...

[we wi]

Dear All,
   
  Its a nice feeling to see me on SARAI again. Agree or disagee facts are always facts. Thats a nice protest againt Jash-e-Azadi, but what to say here on SARAI. Habituate people like Tapas(-ve feelings for woman, and Culture) will write some circastic comments. There are Anamikas,Junaids and many more uncivilized.  But I astonish about this particular blog and the persons ATTAIR. 
  http://indersalim.livejournal.com/?skip=50.  
   
  Regards,
  Dhatri.
   
  Pawan Durani <pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote:
    Sanjay Kak Exposed @ YALE
  
Dear All:
On Thursday September 20th Mr. Sanjay Kak's movie Jashn-e-Azadi (yajynya has
become Jashn-e)was screened in the Louis McMillan Auditorium of the Yale
University. Rajni Ji  and I attended the screening. 

The screening was sponsored by Ms Mridhu Rai, Associate Professor
mridu.rai at yale.edu. She has recently published a book Hindu Rulers, Muslim
Subjects: Islam Rights & the history of Kashmir. (Apparently this book was 
part of the motivation for Mr. Sanjay Kak to make the movie. Given below in
parenthesis is her back ground.

(Mridu Rai joined the department in July 2001 as an assistant professor. She
was educated at Delhi University; the Centre for Historical Studies at 
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; and Columbia University, where she
received a PhD in modern south Asian history. Her doctoral research focused
on the problem of religion and politics in the making of protest in modern 
Kashmir between the 1840s and the 1940s. In 2004 it culminated in her book,
Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights, and the History of Kashmir
< http://www.yale.edu/history/faculty/materials/rai-hindu.html> . Professor
Rai's new research turns to the region of Bihar, to explore the
relationships between caste, territory, region and nation as they evolved 
from the period of British colonial rule into the postcolonial)

There were 23 people in all present in the screening hall. That included Mr.
Sanjay Kak and us two. Most of the attendants were from the South Asian stud 
department of Indian origin. There was one or  two students of Pakistani
origin and may be two or three of American and European descent.

The documentary is about two and a half hour long monologue. The thrust of 
the documentary is to manipulated to portray the burning desire for the
freedom among 'Kashmiris' (read Kashmiri Muslims). The movie touches upon
the 500 years of colonization of Kashmir. It was interesting to note the 
wordings of narration and the imagery of this narration. Mr Kak introduced
the Kalhanna's Rajatarangani as the Hindu rule of Kashmir. He also stated
the "Hindu" rule of Kashmir before 1948. But then he chooses to describe the 
500 years of pre-Dogra rule as the colonial rule of Turks, Afghans, Mughals,
and other nationalities as if it was not an Islamic rule. In that one
sentence he tries to pass the suffering under these colonizers as the 
sufferings of Muslims and not of Hindus. That during this period 100%
Kashmiri Hindu population was reduced to at most 25% of the population was
presented as Muslim suffering. He quotes Kalhanna "that Kashmir can not be 
conquered by colonization but by spiritual merit", as the ethos of Kashmiri
Muslims. That the Muslims (both foreign and the converted) were the rulers
under whose reign Kashmiri Hindu were massacred, humiliated and forced out 
of Kashmir (as evidenced by the Saaraswats and Vaadama Ayers and Kashmiri of
Gujarat)  and converted to Islam is completely presented as the sufferings
of the Muslims.

That since the 1948 till 1990 the successive J&K Governments were formed by 
the  National conference (previously "Muslim Conference") and the people at
the helm were Kashmiri Muslims is also presented as the colonization by the
Indians. That this Government systematically marginalized the Hindus of 
Kashmir by putting reservations for the majority, snatching any landed
property with out compensation (there by violating the property rights of a
minority) is portrayed as the land reform act of the Government.  The sole 
livelihood of the Kashmiri Hindus through education was denied and they were
forced out of state (to achieve Islamization) is also supposed to have
happened because of the colonization by India. That 1947 incursions of 
Pakistan and the development of Islamic Fundamentalism with support from
Pakistan and the outsiders is completely glossed over. Even though the
mention is made of the foreign Islamic mercenaries in Kashmir but it is 
portrayed as acceptable and not such an important issue, where as presence
of Indian troops and the Indian tourists is presented as the yoke on the
local Muslims. (Who shown as pulling the tourists snowy upslope of the 
Gulmarg.)

The presentation of Shaheed (A Islamic category used for the Shahaadat ) and
the Mujahideen (An Islamic religious category used for the fighters of the
faith) is presented as freedom fighters. The time and again portrayal of the 
"Muslim Cemeteries"  and dead Muslim Mujahideen is lamentable but their
killing and raping of the innocent victims both hindu (and Muslims) is
accepted as the justifiable for the Azadi.
Mr. Kak mentiones 200 dead and 160,000 migrated in bold numbers with the 
small print of "in one year". One wonders why did he choose only one year
numbers to show about the Hindu sufferings but boldly says 60,000 total dead
or lost in the last 15 years. This choice is made show the balance in his 
approach like a chameleon Indian leftist/secularist.

Finally when the documentary was screened we were the first one to raise
hand for questions.  We turned toward the audience and challenged the very
notion this being a struggle for the Azadi. We put forth that this is 
movement for the Islamization of Kashmir. We also pointed out the 500 years
of colonization Mr. Kak mentions is 500 years of Islamic rule in which our
population was reduced from 1055 to 20% . It was Kashmiri Hindu tragedies 
which Mr. Kak is portraying as the Muslim tragedies. We pointed out that the
first act of this movement in 1990 was to throw out 400 hundred thousand
Hindus from the valley and became refuge in their own country. If it was a 
Azadi movement why would valley be cleansed of the non-Muslim minorities.
That scenario fits the Islamization movement better.  We asked, why would
all the imagery and the language of this movement be couched in the Islamic 
categorization? Why would Arabic be used instead of Kashmiri language? Why
would the names of the Kashmiri place names be changed to Arabacized and
Islamic names? Why would the past Hindu history be denied? Why would 
non-Kashmiri foreign Muslim mercenaries be allowed in and create havoc in
Kashmir? Why would Pakistan be so heavily involved?

Mr. Kak had no answers for any of these; he tried to pass the Islamic
language as the normal use of religion in freedom movements. But I asked why 
was not inclusive religious symbolism used for the independence?
Kak admitted to the audience that there was Jihad like situation created for
Kashmiri Hindus who had to leave valley.    Eventually I was asked to allow 
others to ask questions. But there were only two other people who asked one
question each, one on the lines of secularism and the other, a Pakistani,
gave some comments on state of JKLF in Pakistan.

We attended the dinner after the movie and we continued to occupy Mr. Kak's 
and several others attention on the dishonest portrayal of the Kashmir
issue. During dinner we distributed the copies of  Ashokji Pandits
Documentary ....And world remained silent.... to some of the attendees and 
requested them to watch it and pass it on to other students.

That is the story from Yale...

Thanks

 


       
---------------------------------
Catch up on fall's hot new shows on Yahoo! TV.  Watch previews, get listings, and more!