Kashmiri Pandits release documentary to highlight pain, sufferings of exodus

Jammu, Jan 18 (PTI) As Kashmiri Pandits observe the 36th anniversary of their exodus from the Valley on Sunday, an organisation representing the displaced community released a short documentary to highlight their sufferings and trauma.

The Kashmiri Pandit community observes January 19 as the ‘holocaust day’ to mark their mass exodus from the Valley in 1990 following the eruption of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

Panun Kashmir released the ‘Nishkasan Katha’ (eviction story), a narrative that aims to document the collective experience of the Kashmiri Pandits during and after their displacement from the Valley in 1990, at a function here this evening.

Produced by Sandeep Aima and written by Dileep Kaul, it seeks to memorialise the community’s trauma while serving as a powerful medium to communicate the truth of their displacement, said Titu Ganju, who developed the concept of the documentary.

Written in Kashmiri language, he said the concept is to pass over the “collective pain, indomitable resilience, and spiritual essence to the progeny by making it an intrinsic part of the exclusive, sacred, and timeless ritualistic system which Kashmiri Pandits have been practising for centuries”.

“By embedding this evocative story in our rituals and traditions, we ensure that future generations not only comprehend the events but also internalise the emotions, moral lessons, and transcendent truths that define our eternal history,” he said.

Panun Kashmir general secretary Kuldeep Raina said ‘Nishkasan Katha’ is not just a story, it is the voice of an entire community.

“It captures our collective memory, blending personal pain into a shared narrative that reflects our journey of loss, survival, and hope,” he said.

He said the narrative encapsulates the horrors that the Kashmiri Pandit community underwent — the targeted killings, forced displacement and destruction of culture and identity — while highlighting the unbroken spirit of a community that continues to fight for justice.

“It represents the Kashmiri Pandit exodus as a chapter in the larger human story of resilience against oppression,” Raina, who also conceived the documentary, said.

The activists emphasised the significance of Nishkasan Katha as a form of memorialisation. “By crafting a single, powerful ‘katha’, the initiative aims at ensuring that the Kashmiri Pandit genocide is remembered and acknowledged, while also countering historical distortion and denialism,” Kaul said.

Memorialisation is an essential step in the pursuit of justice, he said.

“Nishkasan Katha serves as both a remembrance of our past and a beacon for our future. It stands as proof that our voices, though silenced for decades, will never be erased,” he said.

With Nishkasan Katha, Panun Kashmir reaffirms its commitment to preserving the memory of the “genocide” and keeping alive the fight for justice and recognition.

“This ‘katha’ will stand as a powerful reminder of the atrocities endured and the indomitable spirit of a people who refuse to let their history be forgotten,” Kaul said.

“He urged the community and the supporters to rally behind the project and ensure that the documentary reaches the diaspora to become a cornerstone in the narrative of the Kashmiri Pandit struggle.