Kashmir: Travelling Through Bakarwal Village Part 2
Director: Saeed Mirza
Duration: 00:24:49; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 30.686; Saturation: 0.091; Lightness: 0.249; Volume: 0.118; Cuts per Minute: 1.410; Words per Minute: 70.744
Summary: In 1997, Saeed Mirza and his film crew traveled the length and breadth of India to make “A tryst with the people of India,” a documentary that marked fifty years of Indian independence. What has “independence” and “freedom” really meant for ordinary people across the country? How have they experienced modern India’s “tryst with destiny?” Mirza hoped to get the people’s perspectives on fifty years of freedom through conversations with a wide range of people across the country. As part of this trip, Mirza and his crew also traveled through Jammu and Kashmir, talking to a range of people from Jammu to the high mountains of Ladakh.
In this part, Mirza and the crew continue their conversation with Basharat Ali and the people of “Bakarwal Village,” a small group of nomadic shepherds who have set up a temporary settlement on the way to Srinagar. Basharat describes the many difficulties they face: lack of access to education and any kind of medical care are two of the major concerns. At the same time, Basharat speaks eloquently of the freedom and independence of their way of life, and of their love for the environment and natural beauty that surrounds them. Finally, they share a meal with the shepherds before continuing on their journey.
Basharat is an articulate and very expressive young man, and the conversation becomes a philosophical discussion on the nomadic way of life at a time of great political and social upheaval. Years later, in his book “Ammi: Letters to a Democratic Mother,” Mirza remembers this conversation and calls Basharat “the poet of the high mountains.”
On way to Srinagr, Kashmir
SM continues his conversation with Basharat. The camera focuses on two young women, who become self-conscious and smile.
SM: I don't know how, but she reminds me of my mother, who's passed on. She looks like my mother. That's why I'm looking at her and thinking of my mother, and my mind is wandering who knows where
Basharat: Ok, I see
SM: Explain it to her.
(Basharat explains to the woman).
SM: Where's the tea?
Basharat: Its coming, they're making it.
SM, Your "namkeen chai" which you say is the best tea…
Jennifer: Is it Ladakhi chai?
Basharat: Yes, yes, Kashmiri or Ladhaki chai.
Jennifer: Its salty tea? You put salt in it?
Basharat: Yes yes.
SM: Another thing—who drinks the "kawa" tea?
Basharat: We drink kawa.
SM, What do you put in kawa tea?
Basharat: We put cardamom in it, cinnamon too. Kawa is nothing, the best tea is "namkeen" tea.
Shyamal: Which is what you're giving us—thank you.
(They laugh).
cardamom
cinnamon
kawa tea
mind
mother
namkeen tea
spice
tea
Patnitop
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
Shyamal, a crew member, also joins in the conversation here. Basharat talks about his belief that they are some kind of "waseelat" or instruments of help for a distressed community. SM replies that they are friends who have come to listen to them.
Shyamal: Tell me one thing: you live and wander around in the fields and mountains. How do you know so much? We come from the cities and you know we think that we know more than anyone. But now I'm a city person who's come here but I feel like you know more than me. You're so articulate and you speak with such confidence…
Basharat: No, what I have to say is this is "faqar" for us. In our hearts there is happiness, laughter and love, for God has brought us these instruments from Bombay. And we are a suffering people, in one sense:because of the militancy our people have suffered great blows. Our sisters have suffered a lot. But let's forget about that, let's not talk about that. Because if we open up about that, our hearts will not be able to contain our sorrow. Instead let's talk about our good fortune, our happiness that God has brought you to us, as some kind of instrument.. We want to be happy and have a good conversation.
The Koran says, and you will know this, sir, that when the good fortune of a tribe, clan or people opens up, then God sends them some kind of instrument. And these instruments provide some help to the drowning ones, the suffering ones. So our hope is that God has sent you as his instruments to us.
SM: We're not instruments. We're friends.
Basharat: Inshallah (If God so wills).
SM: Perhaps we are friends. I just want to be your friend, that's all. We want to listen to what you have to say.
city
clan
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drowning
fortune
friendship
happiness
instrument
knowledge
koran
militancy
mountain
rescue
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Basharat continues to speak, this time of the extreme hardships the people have to endure as they travel through the mountains. It is a saga that has no end and cannot even be told in its entirety, he says. As Basharat speaks, the camera shows us a little bit of village life: a woman milks a cow, men and boys pass by.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
SM: This is because of the light—the light is becoming less.
Basharat: Yes sir.
Shyamal: Cover? Will this do?
Basharat: In truth sir I had said something up on the road,…I had said something that our people have suffered some great blows. If we open up and tell you that whole saga, that whole sorrow-filled history, most likely we will not be able to finish it. When we travel between here and Jammu, one one side we have our kids on our shoulders, on the other we are holding onto our dogs with our hands, then we're leading our horses with all our luggage, which has everything, our food, drinks, everything. And then we have all our sheep and goats. All of us, our mothers and sisters included, lift heavy loads on their heads and walk barefoot on the roads here. And on top of that we have to deal with the traffic—in this small area we have to deal with the traffic too because right here there is no way to go in the mountains, so we have to take the road. So when night comes we just collapse in exhaustion.
The govt. has here done us a grave injustice because the places where we would set up camp, our settlements..
SM: Camps…
Basharat: They've closed off those areas. And then at night on one hand we face the attacks of wild animals—tigers, "reech" and "giddhar"-- and on the other hand we face the security people who shout at us, say hello, why are you doing this, doing that etc—the whole night they do this. And this is how we have to spend our nights, tired and crying. We get no rest. And then at dawn, it may be cold, it may be raining or snowing, and our kids are hungry. But we have to set out again on our empty stomachs come what may.
access
bear
camp
children
dogs
exhaustion
hunger
light
luggage
mother
neglect
night
rain
road
saga
security
settlement
sister
snow
sorrow
suffering
traffic
travel
wild animals' tiger
Basharat: And I'm talking about a people who are used to living and traveling in the jungles, these are a people who've sacrificed greatly for the country.
Let the militants take up guns and do all kinds of things, but our love for our country, this land, these mountains, remains strong. We don't even want to look at the faces of those who do such terribly wrong things. We are against them. Our people love this land. We have so much love that if someone takes an axe to a tree (per pe koi Kalahari laga de). Look at this deodar grove here, it is world famous for its wood, and it draws water into itself from the sky. You can go and look under it, there will be water there now. That's how resourceful the tree is, God has given it so much power. If someone tries to cut these down we cannot stand for it—let someone take an axe to our child's neck, we still will not let these be destroyed. We have so much love for our land, for for our forest, our mountains. Because this is where our livelihood is, this is our home. The government is not going to give us anything. Even if they do, it will be just a little bit, maybe a paise or five. How useful can that be?
Hey…bring over the tea.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
While they're often suspected of being sympathetic to the militants, Basharat talks about their love for land and country, and how their values are diametrically opposed to anything that would allow killing or destruction. And how they love trees and have a deep respect for nature.
child
deodar
environment
forest
god
government
guns
jungles
land
livelihood
love
militants
mountains
nation
natural resources
nature
power
sacrifice
strength
travel' country
tree
water
wood
Basharat: Say one of our mothers or sisters is going to deliver a child in the mountains, say in Ladakh or high up in the mountains, where we live. From there to get into the city to a doctor takes six days—it takes about a week by foot.
So when there is a delivery, a baby is born, or when someone has pneumonia or some other sort of disease then on the way to the doctor, through the mountains, our kids or the women or the man, they die or something happens to them…So on the roads sometimes it happens—it happened some days ago that there was a delivery case and the baby was born right here. And then we were in the morning taking them to the doctor and the baby died right over there. We just went a little way and the baby died. If we had a doctor with us or medicines or some kind of treatment then perhaps the child would have lived. There have been so many cases like this, so many big cases like this. Who will listen, who is there to help us: no one except for God. Who will listen to our entreaties? Nobody. have to say that if some of us survive, if our animals survive, then it is just the blessing of God that's all. But the govt, wont stop persecuting us not until they finish us off.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
The camera focuses on Basharat as he continues to speak, the woman sits next to him. She interrupts briefly, but Basharat gestures for her to stop, for he wants to talk. Once again, he talks about the hardships his people face—especially when there is no access to urgent medical treatment.
access
baby
blessing
child
childbirth
death
delivery
disease
doctor
god
government
help
labor
ladakh
medicine
mother
mountain
persecution
pneumonia
request
sister
suffering
Basharat: Because we are an innocent people, we don't know how to fight with anyone, to exchange words with anyone, to quarrel with anyone, we just stay quietly by ourselves hidden in the mountains. And they want to take us to the "madan" or "maidan" the govt wants to take us to the "madan." But God forbid that we are forced into a confrontation, because then the government too will be in trouble. Let the whole world come here with all its strength, our people will still not turn back. Because our resolution is strong. We love our country, this air, we love this land, this soil. But if there is conflict and then there is war, if we are forced to, we will encounter the government. That's what I said before and that's what I say now. Bringing the tea?
SM: Shots of the village…
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
The crowd of children outside the tent has thinned out, but a few men and boys stand around, listening as Basharat speaks. Do they agree with what he says? Does he echo all their views? Its hard to tell. Then we're back inside the tent and there is a pause in the conversation.
Basharat talks of his people's love for the mountains, the Government's pressure to push them towards the plains, and how, if there is ever a confrontation, they will resist, and come out stronger for it.
air
confrontation
dispute
encounter
government
innocence
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quarrel
soil
war
Bits of conversation:
Basharat: We're not going to stay here long—in 10-12 days we'll be off again.
SM: Where will you go?
Basharat: Towards the mountains, and through more mountains, after that more mountains on the Jammu side, when the snow starts to fall we will slowly slowly descend.
…
SM: But how long does it take to pack up and leave? All these tents and all your stuff, the luggage, to take all of this and get out of here…in two hours
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
The camera now shifts to a group of women who sit around an earthen stove, making parathas. They talk and laugh. We hear Basharat and the others occasionally in the background. We see a little bit of life around the village. Through the branches of a treee, the camera plays hide and seek with a young girl wearing a gold nose Again, we see the women now with a tray full of what must be their good teacups and a pot.
cooking
food
nose ring
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women
Bits of conversation can be heard.
Basharat: Why aren't you bringing the sugar?
SM: I will
Basharat: You must take this sir. Its medicinal. You know our goats eat these plants and herbs and then we make this—this is why we don't need any medicines, you must take it.
SM: We will.
More scenes of village life. A rooster preens for the camera, a little chick sits right next to him. Under a tent, a man, in a turban, reads intently, unaware or uninterested in the crew or the activities in the village.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
bird
book
environment
herbs
knowledge
plants
rooster
turban
Its time to eat. The group sit in Basharat's tent, eating parathas with honey, and drinking tea. The conversation, naturally, revolves around the food.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
Bits of conversation:
SM:: Shabbi, what are you doing, come and sit here…is this honey and "paratha."
SM: Basharat, this honey you're giving me, please, very little. Just a little. No…no I'm trying to be careful—this will fall here and then the ants will come..
Other man: That doesn't matter.
Basharat: Doesn't matter…the ants live with us anyway…
SM: Jangle…you're behind the camera, Hari, you're behind the mike, you have no idea what's going on here. This paratha and honey is absolutely magnificent.
Basharat: There are two types of honey ("Shehed")
Shyamal: Is this "Shehed?"
Basharat: yes sir this is "shehed.".
Basharat: There are two kinds, one is found in the ground, and the other in the trees.? This one is from the tree and the other is from the ground.
SM: I eat very little but with love. I know I look like I eat a lot but I eat very little.
Basharat: sir I'll take you around here for a little you'll digest everything.
ant
food
ground
honey
paratha
soil
tea
tree
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
We focus again on the old man poring over a book (the Koran or some other religious text, it seems). He is completely absorbed and completely ignores the camera. Then we move to a group of children who sit on a tree trunk. When cued, they wave at the camera and then begin to clap.
book
camera
children
clap
glasses
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ignore
oblivious
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text
turban
wave
Its time to leave. Basharat and the other men escort SM up the path to their car. Shyamal walks along with them, the others follow. Some women and children look on from behind a tree, then decide to follow them. Finally, a cow also follows them up the path.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
Bits of conversation:
Basharat: God has not even given time to the poor: neither do they see morning, nor can they see the evening. They work all the time.
Shyamal: You talk like a poet.
Basharat: Mother said she could not walk, but she is walking up just fine.
Jennifer: I'm terrified.
children
cow
evening
god
labour
leisure
morning
poor
poverty
road
walk
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
They've reached the road and are preparing to leave. The men stand around and wait for everyone to catch up. Basharat as always is in the center of the crowd.
camera
car
cow
crowd
goodbye
leave-taking
mountain
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road
Basharat: How do I look
Someone: Wah.
Basharat: Remember us. Our biggest wealth is that we live in your hearts. …(to Jennifer) Our relationship is that of a mother and son. Now in J &K a mother is leaving her son all alone…please remember me.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
SM gifts a vest to Basharat, putting it on for him. They linger over goodbyes before getting into the car. The men and boys peer inside the car,curious.
gift
mother
remembrance
son
vest
wealth' memory
Basharat: How do I find the heart with which I can let you go?
SM: I'm not leaving, I'm coming back/ This is my promise.
Basharat: Khuda Hafiz. Our prayers are with you.
SM: And mine with you.
Basharat: God give you success, let this journey of yours be fulfilled, be careful, cautious, in Kashmir.
SM (to crew) he's also warned us to be careful.
On way to Srinagar, Kashmir
Sm gets into the car and they say goodbyes before leaving. Basharat and the other men and boys wave as the car begins to pull away.
departure
god
goodbye
heart
journey
prayer
return
status
success
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