[Reader-list] Film Screening: Ajay Raina's ’Tell them the Tree they had Planted has now Grown’

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

 *Ajay Raina's* documentary *’Tell them the Tree they had Planted has now
Grown’ (PSBT)* has a powerful story-line, as a Kashmiri Pandit revisits his
birthplace Kashmir after a twelve year exile only to witness the scars of a
paradise lost. He has won The Golden Conch Award, RAPA Award and the IDPA
silver trophy in 2002.

*Day:* 26th February, 2009
*Time:* 2:30pm sharp
*Venue:* Media Centre Auditorium, *Indira Gandhi National Centre for the
Arts (IGNCA)*, Gate No. 1, Rajender Prasad Road, near Janpath, New Delhi

*Ajay Raina's documentary is being screened as part of the 8 day 'Kashmir
Festival'at IGNCA.*

 *FIRST PERSON -* *Ajay Raina*

Since I was visiting Kashmir after a long period of uncertainty, I did feel
a certain fear about my safety and apprehensive about the response I would
receive from the local people and my earlier acquaintances, though I hadn't
really accounted for this 'particular' emotion in my planning. In the first
few days of my stay I was very guarded with the unknown people who I
encountered. I thought it prudent not to let them in the know of who I
actually was…(there were some interesting consequences). Gradually, I was
able to overcome this guardedness due to the support given me by my Father's
ex-colleagues and a Friend who was my junior at the Film Institute, Pune.

On the first day after my arrival in Srinagar I wanted to go to the downtown
part of the city and just roam about to observe people. Being the last
Friday in the Month of Ramzan, I was advised to visit the shrine at
Hazratbal, where I was told I could expect to see a huge congregation of
Kashmiri's. I went inside the shrine (I hadn't been inside ever, while I was
growing up in Srinagar) and took some stills of the people as they offered
Namaz and as the chief Moulvi of the Shrine exhorted his people to join him
in prayers for peace.

On my way back from the Hazratbal shrine, I took a detour through the
down-town part of the city. This part of the city was the centre of
militancy and highly volatile during the initial phase of militancy. I used
to hear about lots of instances of clashes and firings and deaths from this
area. The security bunkers have now gone (cease-fire sentiment). The
pro-Pakistan/ pro-azadi/ anti-India banners have long vanished and have been
replaced by banners advertising coaching classes for students and commercial
services.

I noted that people in general, barring the intellectual and the political
class were mostly fed up of the ongoing struggle and violence they had
unwittingly become a part of. People overwhelmingly wanted to get on with
life. They wanted the cease-fire to be extended indefinitely and the
violence to end. But they also feared that the vested interests among the
people - the 'the 5% of people' - the militants/politicians/surrendered
militants/and neo-businessmen (who have accumulated unaccounted wealth over
the past decade) do want the uncertainty to continue, so that they can
thrive. But the violence of the past decade has taken its toll on the psyche
of the people. There is resignation to fear and violence. The institutions
of society, of governance and of accountability seem non-existent. There is
frequent load-shedding, but people do not crib or complain. People no longer
share their thoughts with others in public places. Nobody bothered me or
asked me who I was or why I had come, even though I could sense that they
did know, I was one of them and had come to Kashmir after a long time.

Almost all the people I spoke to (in the privacy of their homes or offices)
have been witness to police highhandedness and of death, - at the hands of
militants or in the cross-fire - of someone near to them. This factor
accounts for the major reason for their anti-India feelings. The fear of the
militants is still palpable, I found it difficult to get anyone to speak
about them, though a well respected Journalist, the editor and publisher of
a Local Urdu newspaper was candid enough in admitting to me that *"In the
initial phase of the militancy, the fear of getting killed and the threats
from the militants left us with no choice but to publish what they dictated
us, but now the tables have turned…It is the papers now who tell the
militants what to do, what course of action to take, though the fear
remains." *

I spoke to a few well known local journalists who have covered the ongoing
turmoil. The feeling among them, is unanimously in favour of peace, though
they do not seem to expect much from their local political leadership, which
is known to be corrupt and self - seeking, without exception. Their
arguments for Independence and the genesis of the struggle are
overwhelmingly weighed against India, barring a few from the older
generation, who still think Kashmir's accession to India was in the good
interests of the Kashmiri's. Among the intellectuals, I found a certain
near-unanimity in their logic and analysis of the events that led to the
start of the current turmoil and its subsequent unfolding over the past
decade. I have a feeling that there has been much re-writing of the History
of Kashmir in the past decade. The chasm of thought, the variances in the
interpretation of events by the pro/anti India lobby has widened…perhaps, in
the absence of any worthwhile debate due to the fear of the militants.
Perhaps also, for fear of being dubbed anti-movement.

On the question of Hindu migrations…an ex-militant (of Hizbul Mujahideen)
turned human rights activist wouldn't even agree with me that Hindus were
ever threatened to leave. Very few people reluctantly admitted, though in
private, and when pressed, that 'selective killings' of Hindus, exhortations
from the mosques for Hindus to get out or even 'individual' threats could
have left them with no choice but to seek safety outside the valley. I also
spoke with the members of the Hindu families who had stayed back…They were
going about their daily activities 'normally' and as 'freely' as their other
neighbour…They felt safe from their neighbours, though reluctant to voice
any contrary opinions in public.

I also had the occasion to spend time with four CRPF personnel manning the
picket at the office where my father worked. There is a state of permanent
and constant antipathy between the Security forces and the Local Kashmiri's,
but they looked up to me as a representative of India, perhaps with a
special regard, knowing that I was from Bombay and that I work in Films. In
the course of our little political discussions about the situation and the
probable outcome to the Kashmir problem, I came back feeling that the decade
long violent attrition, constant fear of a militant attack, a sullen
populace and also perhaps lack of any evidence of any change in the ground
situation has left the Indian Jawan, manning the lonely pickets, at the
mercy of his 'wits'. He has been placed in a situation where the gun in his
hand is the only security he has. When he is attacked, or when any of his
comrades is killed, he retaliates with 'wanton' firing. He is aware that
innocents die…But he is also aware that the 'militant' is from one among
them. He is brutal to all. He suspects all as 'a matter of policy' to
safeguard his own life…believing that thereby he is rendering some service
to his country. But, even they want the violence to end. They want to see
some signs of peace. They want to relax among the people they are supposed
to fight. They offered me Rum in the night (since all wine shops and cinemas
are closed), They offered me tea and food in the morning from their share of
the breakfast, knowing that the restaurants would not be open due to the
'Ramzan' month. They took good care of me, even though I was more 'pally'
with the people from the other side, but that was another reason, I was
under 'suspicion' from both sides. The day I was to leave, One of the
security guys was only matter of fact in admitting to me that he had been
suspecting me all along as well*…"How do we know who you are, or what you
say you are is really true. How are we to know what your designs here are?"*

**
*CAST AND CREW*

   Directed by
 Ajay Raina <http://www.upperstall.com/people/ajay-raina>
 Produced by
 Rajiv Mehrotra <http://www.upperstall.com/people/rajiv-mehrotra> (PSBT)
 Cinematography
 Tanmay Agarwal <http://www.upperstall.com/people/tanmay-agarwal>, Ajay
Raina <http://www.upperstall.com/people/ajay-raina>
 Editing
 Ajay Raina <http://www.upperstall.com/people/ajay-raina>
 Audiography
 Ajay Raina <http://www.upperstall.com/people/ajay-raina>, Tanmay
Agarwal<http://www.upperstall.com/people/tanmay-agarwal>
**
**
*Running time*: 55 min.

*For further information contact - 011-23385998*