Kashmir Archives - Page 2 of 3

Dear Indians Who Turned into “Land Buyers” Post Article 370, Can You Please Calm Down?

I received a forward with a picture of a ready-to-move-into 6 BHK house overlooking the Dal Lake priced at ₹3.5 crore. Though the image was fake, the desire most Indians have to own a beautiful holiday home in the mountains is very real. But are we ready for a “Kanakia Paris” in Srinagar?

Aditya Bhalla July 4, 2016

Bollywood

Ghost Stories Review: Dibakar Banerjee Single-Handedly Offers a Compelling Definition of Modern Horror

The dullness of Ghost Stories dilutes the urgency of a horror anthology. In the times that we live in, horror is everywhere you look – in state-sanctioned violence, in the militarisation of the police force, the othering of minorities, and in the clampdown of dissent. It’s probably why Dibakar Banerjee’s segment stands out: the director doesn’t just make a film, but also a statement.

Poulomi Das June 21, 2016

Gender

Why Is No One Talking about the Rape and Murder of a 21-Year-Old in Kashmir’s Kulgam?

While we regularly receive news of minors and women being raped in India’s heartland and metros, cases from outlying regions like Kashmir get scant coverage. A 21-year-old rape victim in Kulgam district died due to her injuries in hospital last month, but why haven’t you heard of it?

Rhea Arora June 11, 2016

Bollywood

Shikara Review: An Incomplete Narrative on the Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits

In Shikara, Vidhu Vinod Chopra chooses to look at the Kashmiri Pandit exodus in isolation and not in relation with the continuous othering of the state by the governments of India and their armed forces. In that sense, not only does the film come across as visibly apolitical but also an incomplete narrative where quite a few pieces of the puzzle are missing.

Poulomi Das June 10, 2016

POV

Shouldn’t the People of Kashmir Have Had a Say in the Revocation of Article 370?

I am not going to debate whether the revocation of Article 370 is going to be good or bad for Kashmir and India. The result of this action will only be clear with time. But what we must consider is the way this whole manoeuvre was orchestrated. And what that might portend for the future of our democracy.

Karan Mujoo June 5, 2016

Columns

Rearview: Pulwama Attack & the Difficulty of Being an Amol Palekar in a World of Arnabs

In the backdrop of the Pulwama attack, whose freedom of expression should we be concerned about? We don’t shut down the folks propagating #TerrorismHasAReligion, or journalists who purportedly declared Aligarh Muslim University, a “university of terrorists”. But we shut down people like Amol Palekar.

Karanjeet Kaur June 5, 2016

Pop Culture

CBFC’s Mission Impossible: Keeping Kashmir and Politics Away From Films

The Mission Impossible series always promises a thrilling break from reality, and addressing geopolitical issues has never been its selling point. Why, then, did the CBFC feel the need to completely cut out the scene with dialogues where the characters say Kashmir?

Dushyant Shekhawat May 19, 2016

Pop Culture

Notes from a Screening of The Kashmir Files

I knew I was in for a unique experience when I chose to watch The Kashmir Files, but it was the absurdly regular and occasionally awkward events outside the film that made it, in certain ways, a special experience.

Takshi Mehta April 25, 2016

POV

Decoding India’s Love-Hate Relationship with Hasan Minhaj

The “Howdy Modi” event held in Houston over the weekend was organised to celebrate the contributions of Indian-Americans to the arts. While it was a spectacle of sorts, one particular NRI felt a little left out. Comedian Hasan Minhaj was turned away at the entrance, rekindling the question — “Do Indians love or hate Hasan Minhaj?”

#VALUE! April 15, 2016