Bhakts trolled me for you: Open letter to Anupam Kher

Dear Anupam Kherji,

I was viciously trolled while speaking my heart out yesterday on Twitter. I was not sure where exactly I was wrong, when I was barraged with incisive and hurtful comments to silence me. No, I am not talking about intolerance. When you say there is tolerance, how dare we object?

I stand wiser by my experience yesterday. But then this may be beside the point. We all know the climate of opinion in the country nowadays which seeks to silence critics and criticism but as I know and understand our country to be, it is but an aberrant interlude. Tolerance is embedded in our country’s DNA and the intolerant are but a fleeting and ephemeral crowd. But what I fail to understand is your volte face and your attitude towards Muslims in general and Kashmiri Muslims in particular.

I vividly remember my school days: We used to have a VCR, and our family and even the neighborhood boys would watch you with utmost respect and awe. We would be glued to our TV sets while you entertained us or at times made us cry. But alas, now my whole perception about you has changed. This perceptual change emanates from what are your clear communal undertones  and overtones.

I found it hard to believe. I was even unconvinced but my doubts were cleared and suspicions confirmed when I watched you in a Times Now programme. This came as a shock to not only me but to tens and thousands of secular Muslims across India and especially Kashmir. What I saw was an actor enacting a “perfect” drama and  the first thing that came to my mind was that you were lying.

How could you tar and entire community with a single  broad brush of violence and communalism? I was again incredulous and for this one reason, we had a heated argument on Times Now. I pleaded with you not to "sensationalise the tragedy". This was not the end of the matter. The second shock came to me when you made a churlish remark and said "I really don't feel like responding to people like me". I was taken aback! Here was a famed actor personalising a debate and making scurrilous and personal attacks. How tolerant is that, Mr Kher? How?

Coming back to my initial point, I asked a question which obviously you would not respond since you "didn't feel like responding to people like me”, but as expected your Sang parivar Bhakts went on an abusive tirade against me. Their whole and sole premise was to attempt to discredit me by giving a spin to the twist to my question and relating it to the migration of Kashmir Pandits from Kashmir. I am not sure whether this tirade was motivated or stemmed from ignorance? I may be wrong but I would like to think it stemmed from ignorance. You left somewhere in 70s to become an actor; you weren't forced out, and after that we have just enjoyed your movies while poor Kashmiri Pandits post 90s were living a miserable life in camps across Jammu. Can we draw a moral equivalence here?You tell me, Mr. Kher.

Now a word about my tweets. Whilst I must congratulate you over the army of Bhakts that follow you but am appalled at the level they stooped to. One of your strong admirers, Rupa Subramany, - so called co-author and a columnist - shamelessly twisted my tweet by saying that "Political secretary of @abdullah_omar turns ethnic cleansing of KPs into "you left for greener pastures".

Shameless.

Why doesn't she understand that I was only taking about you and not the whole community and why doesn't she understand that you left way back in 70s when Pandits were the only prosperous people in the state. Similarly, Sushant Sareen, a strategic affairs analyst couldn't possibly understand my tweet and he also jumped the bandwagon making scurrilous allegations! I wish he would have seen the difference between a person who had a motive in doing all this and a community which suffered immensely. They are supposed to be well informed and well read but strangely they act as educated illiterates. But like someone said, “under RSS influence anyone can turn into anything”- even educated critical minds can be turned into robotic clones! Alas!

Mr Kher, I would like to use this opportunity to clear a few things with regards to my mathematics that your Bhakts found funny. In '90s when Pandits left Kashmir which makes it 26 years till now, you suddenly woke up from your deep slumber and got into the political arena in 2014 and while trying to be an unofficial spokesperson of BJP you said and I quote “Kashmir problem will be solved once Article 370 of the Constitution is gone”. In fact, except for some media channels not even your own party approved of this dangerously ill-conceived idea. Later everyone came to know this was the first hint of yours toward the BJP.

Interestingly, no KPs supported you and all the candidates of your supported JKPRP (Jammu and Kashmir People’s Republican Party) faced a humiliating defeat. 

You again went into hibernation and on the 26th year of the Pandit migration you resurfaced and to our shock while you enjoyed sumptuous meals at Muslims homes in Kashmir you then went on to, insult and brazenly offended the entire community - painting them with a single brush and calling everyone communal. I wasn't surprised that not even once you condemned the atrocities committed on Muslims as well.  In retrospect and hindsight, my shock seems silly. We now know that you wanted accolades in the form of Padma Bushan award, recognition by the far right political elements in the country and maybe even you have political ambition. All this may be legitimate aspirations but, Mr Kher, not at the expense of Kashmiris - be it our Pandit Brethren or Kashmiri Muslims.

My intention to write to you is simple, both your and my cultural background is Kashmir and Kashmiri culture. Our cultural identity precedes our other identities. An example may illustrate the point: Just yesterday, an example of Kashmiriyat was evident when Muslims of a village in Kulgam district of south Kashmir performed the last rites of a Kashmiri Pandit, who clung to his roots and refused to leave the valley when all others in his family fled. His name was Janki Nath - an 84-year-old who was the pride of his village and who was respected and revered by all. This is the Kashmiriyat which I am proud of and so should you be!

Mr Kher, You should and must demonstrate respect and goodwill and not merely bamboozle and hoodwink people into believing half baked truths. Please stay true to your conscience. History and posterity must remember you as a true son of the soil whose acting talent made him a star. You must not be remembered as an opportunist who merely used his background to elicit and seek political office. This would be the ultimate travesty - a future that we neither wish nor want for you!

With warmest regards,

Tanvir Sadiq