Art and culture against war?

Sports and cinema have been claimed by many to unite foes and spread the message of fraternity. After spending decades in violent bloodbaths, the Valley of Kashmir is pitting their hopes on these very two concepts.

The University of Kashmir has invited Mumbai-based short film club Shamiana that recently completed two years in the country, to come and host a short film festival in Kashmir with films that cater to these subjects.

Theatre person Cyrus Dastur who runs the film club says, “Shamiana has been invited to Srinagar next month to host a short film festival for Kashmiris!” The festival will be followed by a talk on the subject at the Jammu and Kashmir University by him. Cyrus points out that the aim of the project will be to unite people across the valley. He adds that it is a mater of pride, “It’s being seen as an act that will unify and try to establish normalcy in the valley.”

But in a state of terrorist attacks, arson and bloodbath, how effective will this move really be? Cyrus explains, “Cinema and sports always have a unifying effect and this is one more way to bring people from different regions together. That’s the underlying current. The main idea is to bring back culture and arts in the valley.” However, he also points out that perhaps to a lot of skeptics, bringing cinema to unite people might sound too cliched, but this effort of the group will be ‘genuine’. “Plus it’s also taking short films to newer avenues and pastures,” says the theatre person.

While in the past, a similar effort has been made, it failed every time due to unexpected situations of terror in the state. “Last December, when we tried to do something similar, there was a bomb blast there. This will be our third attempt. Hope it will be successful.” The dates of the film festival are being worked out at present.