Partition
remains a painful memory for many communities across both sides of the
border. Many families had their entire lives uprooted even though they
had no stake in a decision politicians and officials took over the
course of months.
Imagine the fate of the Pashtun Hindu community who once resided in
the Quetta, Loralai, Bori and Maikhter areas of Balochistan, and had to
endure partition twice over.
The first time was in 1893, when the British imposed the Durand Line.
This, all of a sudden, consigned them to modern-day Pakistan while
separating them from their Kakari tribal brethren on the Afghan side of
the border.
Once again in 1947, they were forced out of their homes overnight.
It’s nearly impossible to understand the socio-political dynamics of
the Indian subcontinent without understanding this seminal event. Amidst
all the pain, loss and endless killing, one positive thing to come out
are the stories of people on either side of the border retracing their
roots, families and identity.
This is precisely why independent filmmaker Shilpi Batra Adwani’s
documentary titled ‘Sheenkhalai- The Blue skin’, which traces her roots
as a Pashtun Hindu woman, is so important.
“The intention of this film is to give a voice and space to my
community which has long been restricted,” says Shilpi, speaking to The
Better India.
Researched and filmed over the course of nearly nine years, she took
the painstaking trouble of finding many members of her community spread
across the world and documenting their stories.
Backed by a grant from the India-Afghanistan Foundation, Shilpi and
her team have shot this documentary in parts of Afghanistan, Quetta and
Loralai in Pakistan, New Delhi, Chittorgarh, Punjab, Uniara, Tonk,
Jaipur and even Washington DC.
However, it was an unforeseen event in college which triggered this remarkable journey in search of her roots.
“I was unaware of my identity as a Hindu Pashtun for the longest
time. In Indian society, people are categorised on the basis of their
caste and religion very early. To somehow adhere to the mainstream
brackets of caste and religion my ancestors identified themselves as
Punjabis. I grew up thinking that I was a Punjabi,” says Shilpi.
Shilpi Batra Adwani
However, all that changed when she was studying for her Masters in
Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi in 2009.
“There I met some students from Afghanistan, who were speaking a
language I was familiar with, Pashto. I went back, dug deep into my
familial history and then it dawned upon me that my ancestors were
Hindus forced to flee Quetta in 1947 during Partition to avoid a
massacre in that region. They were a large bunch of people who were
displaced, settled in Hyderabad (Sindh Province, Pakistan) for two years
and subsequently sent to Deoli in Rajasthan.
The idea to make ‘Sheenkhalai- The Blue Skin’ germinated when I
discovered my identity as a Hindu Pashtun woman,” Shilpi tells The
Better India.
Through the course of filming this documentary, Shilpi got a glimpse
into the stories of many women from her community, which were long
forgotten. However, she recalls one particular story of her grandmother,
who migrated from Quetta during Partition.
“She was very hesitant and not ready to share many details about her
life in the beginning. I took her with me to get her hair washed in a
salon when she saw her silver hair in all its majesty, and her eyes
sparkled. I allowed her a peek into my life so that she would allow me
into hers. This helped me cross a barrier she had long created to her
life, her journey and its trails,” she says. (Source: Shilpi Batra Adwani)
The bond she established with her grandmother and hundreds of other
old Pashtun Hindu women, whom she calls her ‘grandmothers’, augmented
the story-telling process. Moreover, she also grew up listening to
Pashto songs which her grandmother would sing, but couldn’t trace them
anywhere.
“Once in Afghanistan, I came across these songs. I compiled about 20
songs together and played them on a speaker for each one of my
‘grandmothers’. After every interview, we presented them a speaker with
Pashto songs. The music had a transcending effect on my ‘grandmothers’.
Some of them even started crying after listening to it, reminiscing
about their lost homeland,” says Shilpi.
In fact, she spent 1.5 years in Kabul, polishing her Pashto and
strengthening her research on the Pashtun community while working with
an Afghan-American company. “This helped me learn the Pashto script,
which my community back home didn’t know,” she says.
So, what is ‘Sheenkhalai’? The literal translation of ‘Sheenkhalai’
is Blue Skin. “An intriguing feature of my ancestors’ appearance was
that they had permanent tattoos on their faces and hands. Back in their
hometown, my ‘grandmothers’ used to make tattoos on each other’s faces,
to enhance their appearances. These were considered beauty marks, but
once they moved to India, they were derided and looked down upon because
they adorned these unique tattoos,” says Shilpi.
In fact, her own grandmother started to cover her face. Shy around
outsiders, her grandmother feared being shunned for the tribal tattoos
she adorned. Following Partition, around 400-500 Pashtun Hindus were
resettled in Uniara (130 km from Jaipur), Chittorgarh and Punjab.
By 1965, they started shifting to Jaipur (Shilpi was herself born and
raised in Jaipur) and other parts of the country, where they had a hard
time finding rented accommodation, while others weren’t entirely
welcomed even though they were Hindu.
Consequently, many of them found comfort in hiding their Pashtun
identity, carrying themselves as Pakistani-Hindu women dressed in saris
and salwar suits, while shunning their traditional Kakrai Kameez. They
even spoke the local language but would teach Pashto to their children.
Restoration work on Kakria Kameez, the traditional attire of Pashtun women.
The Kakria Kameez is an intricate hand embroidered dress which takes
about 1-1.5 years to complete. Shilpi and her community of like-minded
individuals from The Open Space Society (TOSS), a film school in Jaipur
she co-founded, recovered shreds and parts of these old dresses.
They are restoring them as part of TOSS’ Sheenkhalai Art Project.
It’s been two years and they have restored approximately 14 dresses.
They have also made a photo series with all her ‘grandmothers’ wearing
these old, now restored Kakria Kameez and the expressions on their
faces.
“These photos depict a boundless joy. It has given them a way to
reconnect with their past and provide closure to their life journey,”
she says.
Nonetheless, whenever she would conduct interviews with her
‘grandmothers’ for the documentary, any mention of the Kakria Kameez
would bring tears to their face.
“After settling in India my grandmother’s clothing also became a
point of contention amongst the people here. As a result, they started
wearing clothes similar to that of their neighbours. They gave up a very
important part of their culture to blend into the cultural fabric of
their new land and sold their old Kakria Kameez for money to make ends
meet.”
Restoration work on Kakrai Kameez, the traditional attire of Pashtun women.
However, the most enduring memory of the project was how it
reconnected people to not just their roots, but friends and family from
either side of the border.
During her research for the documentary, she was interviewed by Voice
of America in Washington DC, which reportedly went viral. Following the
interview, many people got in touch with her and offered their
assistance for this film. During the course of one such interaction, she
got to know of Khursheed Jogezai, a resident of Quetta who promised to
connect Shilpi to her ancestral land.
Since she couldn’t shoot in Quetta, Khursheed helped her with the shoot. He sent people to meet her ancestor’s neighbour.
“I got some footage from Maikhtar (Quetta) from Khursheed. While
showing it to my one of my ‘grandmothers’, she identified the house in
the footage as her relative’s. This made such an impression on me and my
community, to see the implication of my work. The past that my
ancestors had left, its memories were coming alive and were being
celebrated,” she says.
One day she received a video online, which was an interview with an
old villager in Maikhter, who recalled his neighbour Prakash and his two
daughters. According to the old man, Prakash and his family left one
night in a great hurry without ever coming back. Using the network of
contacts she had built in the Pashtun Hindu community, Shilpi was able
to trace the family back to Rajasthan.
If this wasn’t enough, Shilpi received ultimate validation when
former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun himself,
inaugurated the Sheenkhalai Art Project—a curation of photos, old
dresses, jewellery and songs—during the Jaipur Literature Festival
earlier this year.
“Hamid Karzai spoke to my elders in Pashto and said that they
belonged to the Kakrai community of Afghanistan and should be proud of
their cultural heritage,” says Shilpi.
Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai at the inauguration of Sheenkhalai Art Project in Jaipur.
Speaking to The Hindu,
Karzai said, “Hearing women singing these old songs is a very special
experience. This was them asserting their identity, asserting that no
force, or separation or partition can destroy this.” In fact, he went
onto state that despite the Taliban, the Afghan people want them back.
“Even just after I took over as President, one of my oldest teachers
told me our Hindus and Sikhs have suffered more than the Muslims of
Afghanistan. He wanted me to bring them back.” Also Read: Kozhikode to China: IIT Prof Unearths 700-YO Link That Will Blow Your Mind!
What is the message Shilpi wants to convey through this documentary?
“The message that this film speaks out and loudly so is that one
shouldn’t shirk away from embracing their identity and we as people need
to be more accommodative of the others around us, be it other religion,
caste, culture. The world is slowly turning into a globalised culture
and boundaries are disappearing and we need to be very cognizant of
that,” she says.
Despite all her accomplishments, Shilpi isn’t quite done yet. She is
planning to open a ‘Partition Archive’, consisting of documentation,
research and literature related to this film for public viewing, study
and further research.
Through the film, Shilpi has not only traced back her roots but also
helped bring closure to her grandmothers and hundreds of other Pashtun
Hindus living in India who have not found the opportunity to express
their cultural heritage.
“My community has become more conscious and curious about their
culture. We are now witnessing healthy signs of revival, in the form of
traditional Pashto songs being played during weddings. The new
generation is taking pride in their identity, which is a very positive
message this documentary has evoked,” she says. (Edited by Vinayak Hegde)
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Do or Die: An Ode to the Speech That Inspired India to Give Its All for Independence
On
8 August 1942, Gandhi addressed the masses from the Gowalia Tank Maidan
in Bombay (now Mumbai) and exhorted them to participate in the Quit
India Movement.
Even as the
Second World War was going on, Indians were fighting a battle of their
own, and political forces in India, like the Indian National Congress,
along with Mahatma Gandhi, were severely pressurising the Britishers to
leave the country.
In 1942, Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time, sent Sir Stafford Chips, a member of the War Cabinet, to India, to discuss changes in Indian politics.
However, when the Indian National Congress and the Muslim league
discovered that the proposal had no provision for Indian politicians to
make decisions in military strategy, the negotiations fell through.
This resulted in Gandhi igniting the fire of a mass protest against
British rule in India, and it came to be known as the Quit India
Movement.
On 8 August 1942, Gandhi addressed the masses from the Gowalia Tank
Maidan in Bombay (now Mumbai) and exhorted them to participate in the
Quit India Movement.
Source.
Here are some excerpts from his speech.
“Occasions like the present do not occur in everybody’s and but
rarely in anybody’s life. I want you to know and feel that there is
nothing but purest Ahimsa in all that I am saying and doing today. The
draft resolution of the Working Committee is based on Ahimsa; the
contemplated struggle similarly has its roots in Ahimsa. If, therefore,
there is any among you who has lost faith in Ahimsa or is wearied of it,
let him not vote for this resolution…”
Although Gandhi was the torchbearer of non-violence, and strongly
believed that the principle would be a perfect weapon against the
tyranny of the British government, he wasn’t blind to its imperfections.
“I know how imperfect our Ahimsa is and how far away we are still
from the ideal, but in Ahimsa there is no final failure or defeat. I
have faith, therefore, that if in spite of our shortcomings, the big
thing does happen, it will be because God wanted to help us by crowning
with success our silent, unremitting Sadhana1 for the last twenty-two
years…” he said.
Gandhi wanted the masses to question their fight. The fight,
according to him, was not against the current ruling power but rather
against the concept of imperialism. Without the clarity as to what they
were battling, the Indian population might have won a battle but lost
the war.
“Then, there is the question of your attitude towards the British. I
have noticed that there is hatred towards the British among the people.
Source.
The people say they are disgusted with their behaviour. The people
make no distinction between British imperialism and the British people.
To them, the two are one. This hatred would even make them welcome the
Japanese. It is most dangerous. It means that they will exchange one
slavery for another. We must get rid of this feeling. Our quarrel is not
with the British people; we fight their imperialism…” Gandhi explained.
After the resolution to kick-start the Quit India Movement was passed
with a clear majority, Gandhi addressed the leaders in another speech,
on the same day, from the same place. You may also like:The Untold Story of ‘Satyananda’, the Only American to Join India’s Fight for Freedom
“I congratulate
you on the resolution that you have just passed. I also congratulate
the three comrades on the courage they have shown in pressing their
amendments to a division, even though they knew that there was an
overwhelming majority in favour of the resolution, and I congratulate
the thirteen friends who voted against the resolution. In doing so, they
had nothing to be ashamed of. For the last twenty years, we have tried
to learn not to lose courage even when we are in a hopeless minority and
are laughed at. We have learned to hold on to our beliefs in the
confidence that we are in the right. It behoves us to cultivate this
courage of conviction, for it ennobles man and raises his moral stature.
I was, therefore, glad to see that these friends had imbibed the
principle which I have tried to follow for the last fifty years and
more…”
But even as Gandhi’s Quit India movement was soon to be set in
motion—the next day, in fact— the communal tension between the Hindus
and the Muslims was still an important issue to be addressed.
Source: British Library.
“Time was when every Mussalman claimed the whole of India as his
motherland. During the years that the Ali brothers were with me, the
assumption underlying all their talks and discussions was that India
belonged as much to the Mussalman as to the Hindus. I can testify to the
fact that this was their innermost conviction and nor a mask; I lived
with them for years… Thousands of Mussalman have told me, that if
Hindu-Muslim question was to be solved satisfactorily, it must be done
in my lifetime. I should feel flattered at this; but how can I agree to
[the] proposal which does not appeal to my reason? Hindu-Muslim unity is
not a new thing. Millions of Hindus and Mussalman have sought after
it…”
Gandhi even spoke about his plans to have a word with the Viceroy,
demanding freedom from British imperialism, and as Indian leaders were
talking to the British, it was important for the common citizens to
support their leaders publicly. The most important thing for the public
was to have faith in their leaders.
At times, while political procedures progress behind the doors,
suspicion starts arousing among the masses. Gandhi wisely wanted to
prevent that from happening.
Source.
So, addressing the common man, he said,
“You have only placed all your powers in my hands. I will now wait upon
the Viceroy and plead with him for the acceptance of the Congress
demand. That process is likely to take two or three weeks. What would
you do in the meanwhile? What is the programme, for the interval, in
which all can participate?… The fourteen fold constructive programme is,
of course, there for you to carry out. What more should you do? I will
tell you. Every one of you should, from this moment onwards, consider
yourself a free man or woman, and acts as if you are free and are no
longer under the heel of this imperialism. You may also like: Legacy of Lal-Bal-Pal: The Legendary Trio Who Stood For Swaraj & Swadeshi Ideals!
It is not a make-believe situation that I am suggesting to you. It is
the very essence of freedom. The bond of the slave is snapped the
moment he consider[s] himself to be a free being. He will plainly tell
the master: “I was your bond slave till this moment, but I am a slave no
longer…”
It was here that Gandhi declared
his famous call to action, ‘do or die’, which would become a chant
across the country—for people to give their all in the fight against the
British.
“Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. You may imprint it
on your hearts and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The
mantra is: ‘Do or Die’.
We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live
to see the perpetuation of our slavery. Every true Congressman or woman
will join the struggle with an inflexible determination not to remain
alive to see the country in bondage and slavery. Let that be your
pledge. Keep jails out of your consideration. If the Government keep me
free, I will not put on the Government the strain of maintaining a large
number of prisoners at a time, when it is in trouble. Let every man and
woman live every moment of his or her life hereafter in the
consciousness that he or she eats or lives for achieving freedom and
will die, if need be, to attain that goal. Take a pledge, with God and
your own conscience as witness, that you will no longer rest till
freedom is achieved and will be prepared to lay down your lives in the
attempt to achieve it. He who loses his life will gain it; he who will
seek to save it shall lose it. Freedom is not for the coward or the
faint-hearted.”
Within 24 hours of making this speech, the British government arrested Gandhi, along with several other Congress leaders.
Source.
Imprisoned with his wife, Kasturba in the Aga Khan Palace in Poona
(Pune), Gandhi fasted for 21 days in protest. Kasturba was suffering
from bronchitis and even had several heart attacks under imprisonment.
She died in 1944, just a month before Gandhi was finally released.
Even as their leaders were imprisoned, Indians took to the streets
the next day, on 9 August 1942 and started the Quit India movement. You may also like:14 Inspiring Speeches By Indians You Can’t Afford To Miss
Although the movement itself faced a lot of opposition from various
other political parties, it succeeded in keeping the Congress party
united. The arrest of all major political leaders from the party
prompted Aruna Asaf Ali, a relatively lesser-known activist to preside over the AICC on 9 August.
The Congress party was banned by the government following this, giving the party even more public support! (Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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