You are the refuge, O Cloud, of the afflicted:
Bear, therefore, to my beloved message from me,
Separated from her by the anger of the Lord of Wealth.
Your destination is the residence of the princely Yakshas, Alaka by name,
The mansions in which are lit by the crescent-moon on the head of Siva residing in the outer garden.
— Kalidasa, Meghaduta. Sloka 7
In this classic text by Kalidasa, a banished lover beseeches the cloud to carry his message to his beloved. The Cloud Messenger is both an artistic device and a social necessity. We all need messengers, especially when our voices are not heard, or for that matter even to create a voice for ourselves and the cloud is a perfect figure to fulfill such a need. It seems so grand, unattainable, and so free to roam anywhere it wants and give a roving perspective on the events observed on the ground. In carrying the message, the cloud can create a havoc or quench parched lands depending on its force and surrounding conditions. But the cloud cannot be silenced or threatened for carrying the message.
Like the distraught Yaksha in Meghaduta who was banished from his land approached the Cloud to carry his message of love, the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora – banished from their land due to unspeakable atrocities committed on them – needed a reliable messenger to convey their tale of horror to the world. Meghaduta had to only carry a love note, while the messenger of Kashmir Pandits was to be entrusted with dreadful tales of genocide, torture, and expulsion from their land. They needed someone trustworthy, bold, and creative as their messenger and found those qualities in Vivek Agnihotri.
Most modern-day messengers – be it journalists, academic researchers, or filmmakers – go in search of message-givers – to write their story or research findings or make a film, and often they go with vested interests of gaining fame and controlling narratives about events. Truth often is secondary. In the case of Kashmir Files, the message-givers sought the messenger; few influential members of Kashmir Pandits approached Vivek Agnihotri and directed him to numerous other message-givers. Agnihotri made immense effort to visit the homes of these people spread out across the globe to diligently record their account of events.
The task that Agnihotri signed up for was not an easy one. Meghduta observes the events on the ground from above and remains untouched by them, while Agnihotri must touch and feel the concrete realities and face the dangers lurking on the ground. Moreover, like the water-laden cloud he must release torrential rain of truth to drown and wash away falsehood that has become ossified in human minds across the globe. That’s exactly what Vivek Agnihotri managed to achieve. The heavy downpour of truth gave relief to people who had to live with congealed memories of horror that never found expression or even heard. To the relatively unaffected, it was a strong dose of truth that jolted them from their slumber.
But the gatekeepers of falsehood, who have been enjoying their elevated status in advancing fake narratives, are clearly discombobulated. Recently, Foreign Correspondents Club and Press Club of India cancelled their scheduled press conference. They thought if the platform is denied for the messenger, the message will die a natural death.
But the message has the force of Truth in it and the messenger is relentless. The former gatekeepers are unable to find even an iota of untruth in the film and so they resort to juvenile bullying tactics. Why this stiff resistance? What are they afraid of? Peace in Kashmir? Revival of something greater?
YES!! It is the revival of something so great that no passing ideologies can withstand. In Kavi Kalidasa’s Meghaduta, the Yaksha instructs the Megh to be guided by the light of Crescent Moon residing on Lord Siva’s head, while passing through Alakapuri. Kashmir is the abode of Lord Siva that has been illuminated by Sharada Civilization since time immemorial. Once the majesty and force of this philosophical treasure spreads, all other transient ideas are bound to face diminution. It is this Brahmastra that the peddlers of falsehood dread deep down. In presenting unvarnished Truth, the messenger Vivek Agnihotri has released this Astra.
A verse from Vijnanabhairava – Divine Consciousness coming from the school of Kashmir Saivism says,
All things are revealed by Jnana i.e., the knowledge of Self and the Self is revealed by all things. By reason of their nature being the same, one should contemplate on the knower and the known as one and he same. (# 137)
By extension of these profound words – the message and the messenger are inseparable. Therefore, choose your message wisely as Vivek Agnihotri did.