FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Excelsior Established 1965 Rasul Mir - India's First Telefilm Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Sudhir Tandon unusual in those days. enough, we got a lot of co-operation from the res- groves, flower fields…now in light, now in shad- Bo veer-na-gai he-maiza-gai idents -- each day our lunch was hosted by a dif- ow.. ukiye Janab!" The rasping sound with La-gai mot gaerzaan ferent household. Yet, on most days, I nearly went Ath Sombal Bagas wan me ditty, Bar coded Revenue Registers a hint of boom stopped me in my Pooli to Cheena-gundkyadrengi, without lunch or had just a morsel. I was the only Ravarim sari doh. "Rtracks towards the exit. I turned Kongihaataipaan. vegetarian in the unit. In the non-vegetarian Yim Ashkatongal pam tatiy, n order to manage scientifically and in transpar- around.A tall, middle-aged man was approaching I'll look for you at Veernag, spread that is lavishly laid out for important Lo lati lo us. His order and his brisk approach alerted the in the garb of an unknown mendicant, guests, which host would think ofincluding any For several days, I looked for you, ent manner, the data in respect of revenue CISF sentries guarding the Srinagar Doordarshan records and to keep at bay, chances of fiddling at Pooli, cheeni-gund, vegetarian stuff? There were, then, some embar- Everywhere in the hyacinth garden. I gate, two of whom came and surrounded us. Drengi. Give me a glimpse, Kongi. rassing moments for both the host and me. The embers there ignited my fire of passion with the actual records to attempt to perpetrate It was the summer of 2010 or 2011. I was vis- But after Kongmal was married off to someone Hurriedly, a glass of milk or a boiled egg or some Oh my love! frauds, it was decided to have bar-coded revenue iting Kashmir after a long time. It was both natural else, Mir wrote some unparalleled poems of sepa- biscuits would be effectuated. or the palpable strains in his body against the and compulsive for me to revisit the Kendra where registers. The decision to this effect having been ration and longing. Working on a measly budget, we could not curb of stillness, and, of course, the picturisation I'd worked about 35 years ago. While I was meet- With this basic storyline in mind, we took afford to hire locations or local props or pay for of the seven songs which were set to music by the taken nearly more than ten months back, there ing some cameramen who had been junior to me in some crucial decisions about our film.As the story any services. Perforce, we had to enlist the local well-known visually challenged composer appears to be no development worth the name in service, Rafeeq Masoodi, the Director of the was primarily about unfulfilled love in a small vil- people for crowd scenes. Though Gani Khan and Ghulam Hasan Sofi were lapped up by the village implementation in this respect on the ground. We Kendra, saw me and came over. After an exchange audiences. The songs sung by Sofi himself, the of greetings and without further ado, he ordered his Artists & crew of TV Centre Srinagar at the graveyard of Rasul Mir during shoot may make no bones about the levels of dismay legendary female singers Raj Begum and staff to immediately shift me and my wife from the of Musical feature Film Rasul Mir Produced by TV Centre Srinagar and directed NaseemAkhtar and noted male singers G.M Rah & hotel we were staying in to his vacant suite in the and dissatisfaction the people in general other- by Bashir Budgami. Ali Muhammad Nishtar were instant hits. wise have in respect of the services provided by DDK premises. Our protestations fell on deaf ears. Working at a breakneck speed, the film was It was the day following when we were exiting the Revenue Department in whatever form and got ready for its telecast on the ensuing the DDK compound that we encountered that Independence Day in 1975. Meanwhile, it was that should have been the motivating factor for cracking order to stop. The spunky man closed in, decided to have a press show before the telecast. the authorities concerned to have the requisite looked intently at me and purred, "Tandon Saheb!" Although, some colleagues had seen bits of the reform introduced at the earliest as most of the Though the man looked familiar - didn't he guard film during the post-production stage leading to the DDK gate ? -- I couldn't recall his name. afavourable buzz, it was the press screening that states have already introduced bar-coded rev- Rahman?Mohd.Sultan? … He began telling the put paid to our anxiety. Rasul Mir got not only enue registers. They have advantages in various CISF men and some others who had gathered by complimentary reviews from the press and the TV forms over the one in practice for decades togeth- then something to this effect, "you don't know audiences alike, but also brought salvation to me. what he has done for our Kashmir!" He went on to Soon, the environment of hostility and resentment er. There is least possibility of any human error, talk about the film Rasul Mir. that had relentlessly shrouded me gave way to being inexpensive in designing , training time of In March 1975, I was posted to DDK, Srinagar The names of the crew and cast are as under : appreciation and regard. The doors that had sud- Rasul Mir employees is considerably reduced, are flexible as the head of the camera department. Two things denly been slammed shut on me were thrown open about the Kendra had struck me acutely: the dingy, Year of Production: 1975.B &W. Duration 75 mts. equally suddenly. The psychological interval and adaptable, data is reliable and assessed fast filthy and slushy canteen, and the highly literate Represented Doordarshan in international TV film festival Golden Prague at between these two moments was long. Very long. and above all these advantageous points are use- and articulate staff, particularly the programme Prague Czechoslovakia in 1978. Though inexplicable, the U-turn was welcome. ful in preventing frauds and manipulations for people,including some camera assistants, who Written, produced and directed by Bashir Budgami. I remained in Srinagar only for a couple of Photography.Sudhir Tandon more months. But the affection of Kashmiris fol- obvious reasons. took pride in debating on myriad subjects and issuesin English. This level of awareness and Audiography: VinodKalra. lowed me. Even decades after the screening of The decision follows constituting of a high articulation in a large band of colleagues hugely Editing .R.G Breed. Rasul Mir, former colleagues and Kashmiris, powered committee to look into the ways and surprised me since I hadn't come across many Lyrics: .Rasul Mir. some of whom I had not even met, would upon Music:.GhulamHasanSofi. measures that could be adopted to bring about such people even in the established Delhi Kendra meeting me, talk about the shots and compositions which had boasted of many luminaries. Cast. Gani Khan, Shama and Others. in the film: that silhouette, Rasul Mir dragging more transparency in the delivery mechanism in Notwithstanding, and as (with apologies to G.B. Singers: Ghulam Hasan Sofi, Raj Beum and Naseem Akhtar, himself in a windstorm [I was told that wind- vogue in respect of providing of public services to Shaw) indiscretion has been better part of my val- G.M Rahi and Ali storms are rare in the valley; in fact, it occurred while we were travelling and on the spur of the the citizens which are hassles free and coupled our when it came to professional matters, I made a lage, we decided not to have any dialogues; the Shama were new comers, they got literally detractive comment in the programme review moment I improvised the shot], Shama's faint with overall improvement in the levels of efficien- feelings, emotions and the pain of separation mobbed as they were respectively playing the smile like clasped hands or her tip-toeing around a meeting about the way an address by the then CM would be conveyed through the protagonists' roles of Rasul Mir and Kongmal. cy in the functioning of the said department . This Sheikh Abdullah had been filmed. Many staff chinar tree et al. I have been surprised time and expressions, metaphors and visual motifs and Even though, no dialogues were exchanged again by the vivid details related by these 'fans' -- was done last year in August and the Committee members were up in arms at the temerity of a mere songs that represented some of Mir's most well- between the doomed lovers, the suffering lumi- cameraman, and that too an 'outsider', to cavil at the details and the shots some of which I had even- gave its findings and suggested among other known verses. Moreover, logistics constraints set- nosity of Shama's (Kongmal) eyes, tired of wait- forgotten. What is this about Kashmiris? Why do the work of an influential producer. In fact, one tled the matter. To go dialogue-less was a daring ing for Rasul measures, introduction of the bar-coded revenue of my own assistants threatened me of dire conse- they retain admiration for a thing for so long?I gamble to take for the first ever feature film to be Tha-rah tha-rah chham ma-rah sha-yad have worked in many Kendras and on many a pres- registers citing various advantages and centring quences at my effrontery. But as film and TV pro- made in Doordarshan, and possibly the first tele- shar meh ji-gu-rook drav-nai duction calls for team work, the apparent signs of tigious project. I have many firsts to my credit. But round absolute transparency and doing away with film in India. And because the location had to be Khoshyi-von nunda-bon, ve-si-yae the recognition for all those achievements, includ- a sort of established 'speciality' and absolute dom- acrimony turned over time into an rural Kashmir, we had to film most scenes out- Myondil-bar aavnai undercurrent.There is a reason why I'm harping on ing for winning a coveted international award has inance of the revenue personnel in handling in a doors as power supply,essential for indoor shoot- I am all ashake, not been as generous. So what is it about Kashmir this imbroglio. In fact, it is at the heart of this ing,was erratic and deficient in these parts. Actual I may die/my heart's wish has seen no fulfil- particular way the revenue records and issuing piece. That reason I shall reveal later. and its people? Why should a security guard conditions, however, were worse. There was hard- ment remember me even after 35 years and proclaim to copies thereof or in matters of mutation and other Bashir Budgami, a programme producer in ly any electricity most times. Even when it was that lovely, pleasing, my heart throb/he hasn't Srinagar Doordarshan, came up with the idea of the world that I contributed 'something' to Kashmir services. In other words, the demand of the sub there, the voltage was so low that we couldn't use come, ah Dear! and its culture. It is inexplicable. It is incomprehen- making a film on Kashmir's "greatest romantic any photographic light for shooting. Unlike and the mobility of her face which, like a titles of the revenue extracts and other required poet of the 19th century", Rasul Mir. He naturally sible that Rasul Mir will be 45 yearsold on 15 today's video cameras which can work under low flower making a quiet turn toward the Sun, would August, 2020 and is still alive in the memory of records should not be in mystified and non -under- wanted it to be shot by a favourite local camera- lighting conditions, our 16mm film cameras light up on stealing a glance at Mir - a shimmer man. But, as Bhushan Kaul was busy with anoth- many Kashmiris. standable form and use of English language required a lot more light. So the only recourse for now, and then gone. On the other hand, the inner Gastewesiyelalachhumdurey er project at that time, I came in as his substitute. us was to somehow reflect sunlight indoors with torment, the lingering pain of Rasul, should be made to enable the common people to Rasul Mir was in love with a Kashmiri Pandit Mechhumooreeylalvunnar just two rudimentary reflectors and supplement Ye tulip faced, thee I'd hold, by neck to heal Go, my friend, my love stays far away. know what was there in a particular revenue girl named Kongmal of his native village Duru in that light with any available mirrors that a house- my pain/sans thee, Rasul the flower bed, is a Anantnag district. Being his muse, she was an I have to nurture the fire of love every day. extract.The fact of the matter is that most of the hold might have. thorny seat for me. (The author is a former ADG, Doordarshan and founder inspiration for Rasul's immortal poetry. Mir even Because, the director came from Budgam, we the hopeless flights of Gani Khan's Rasul Mir recommendations, in particular the main one of mentioned her name in his poems which was quite Executive Director, Lok Sabha TV.) bar-coding as done in most of the states, were chose that village as our location. Naturally across the countryside, criss-crossing streams, [email protected] accepted. Not only that, theGovernment kept at S S Sodhi he underwent an intensive course of study and disposal of the Revenue Department the evaluation and outshone in his academic attain- Government owned Ranbir Press where a y father, an Indian prisoner of war in ments. Pakistan, captured along with other machine specifically for the purpose too was Unsung soldier People would flock to him seeking spiritual MIndian soldiers near Bunji, a town in the and worldly guidance as he possessed a thorough installed. Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, shifted to con- ered himself lucky to be serving in his royal army days progressed. knowledge of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and had We do not deny that some progress has been finement near Attock, spent around 3 years in for the glory and sovereignty of the state. The His call for duty which had apparently kept uncanny ability to translate the words of the captivity, lost his entire family in Kabaili riots welfare activities undertaken by Maharaja Hari him "safely alive" away from the bloody riots at sacred text into simple everyday language. He made in respect of digitization of revenue records and had only his nation to call his own. under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme which Singh had won the deep trust and love of his sub- home, also kept him bound to the call of duty with also inspired many a youth to take up a career Here is a son's tribute to his father who never jects and the members of the royal force. only two available options - 'do or die'. Like with Army. He was of the opinion that given a would put the Revenue Department on proper gave upon his faith in God and inspired many oth- One year later in 1947, the partition between always, he chose the former, hoping to find his chance, every Indian village should send at least rails to be in tune with the expectations of the peo- ers to strengthen their spirit and follow a virtuous India and Pakistan happened followed by violent salvation through his duty. one member of their family to join the Army so path. ple , on modern concepts and practices of main- communal riots, gory attack on J&K by tribal The cruel timings of fate would come haunt- that the whole village gets the honour of merito- Fighting the first war of Kashmir and the other marauders and war with Pakistan. There are sev- ing back to him even during his excruciatingly rious service to the nation. Indo-Pak wars fought between 1947-1968 and his taining vital records and eliminating of any appre- eral records in History which support the evi- painful days as a Prisoner of War in Pakistani Sitting for long hours in meditation, singing capture as a prisoner of war was recounted with hensions about their genuineness and making dence of those horrible wartimes. However, I Jails at Bunji & Attock, where he was subjected Gurbani Kirtans and guiding people for virtuous great pride by my late father - Subedar S. Kirpal access to them easy, fast and hassles free but choose to focus this narrative on my father. to extreme hard labour and torture, watching his living became a reflection of his unique strength Singh, a humble soldier in the Indian Army. All As S. Kirpal Singh along with the powerful fellow associates getting killed one by one upon the pace of that work needed to be accelerated. episodes of his life and history touched many and courage in his later years which were a testi- comrades of his unit stood bravely fighting the their refusal to join the Pakistan army. As yielding mony to the purposeful life he had lived. But for However in order to standardise the extracts of lives in different ways. The fact that he was 'cap- enemies and defending the beloved frontiers of to the enemy was out of the question, among the tured' by the enemy along with his fellow Dogra, my father who was always the 'doer' believing in revenue records, it was imperative to have various J&K, his world came crashing down with a heart- only two available options thrown at him - 'do or action, life seemed just beginning to unfold. He Sikh and Muslim associates, but never 'surren- wrenching news from home. All members of his die', all he could do this time was to find his registers in the department like pertaining to muta- dered' to the enemy, remained a source of great and the other colleagues of his time would huge- family had died. As thousands of Kabaili rioters refuge and support in his beloved Guru. And ly admire the benevolent recognition and welfare tion, Jamabandi, Khasra Girdawari etc printed pride for him and an inspiration for all of us. carrying axes, swords, muskets, and sticks were luckily for him through some divine intervention, schemes of PM Modi which he had bestowed through the Government Press and have them Life threw grave challenges at S. Kirpal pillaging and executing innocent citizens in a each time his turn would come for killing, some- upon war widows, army pensioners and POW's. Singh, from a young age. Amid two limited merciless blood bath in Chakhoti village in thing or the other would avert this act and his life properly bar-coded. choices - 'do or die' available to him, he chose to My father and his associates greatly welcomed As on date, it is learnt that the employees who would be spared. Three years thus passed in remain tough by selecting the former and contin- captivity and strife. such moves of the PM who had honoured all had to man the said machine installed in March ued to maintain mastery over his indomitable In the following years due to some army ranks equally and brought revolutionary this year are yet to obtain the requisite know how spirit until the very end. diplomatic and political channelling that changes in the way the Army was looked after. It S. Kirpal Singh was born in 1927 to a middle- about the operation of and working on the happened between India and Pakistan and was something which they had been seeking since class Sikh family in what was then called undi- as a result of his unbounded devotion and last many years. They were at last happy that their machine . The training part was going to be vided India in a Village called Chokhoti in district trust in God, it was decided to handover hardship and honourable service to Army were taken care of ''shortly'' after an arrangement with Muzaffarabad, now in POK. over the prisoners of war to India. being recognised by the present Government of He was the youngest of the five siblings and The thrill of being released and the sad- India in the remotest parts of the villages through the suppliers. Expecting that to happen sooner from a quite early age was drawn towards medi- ness of having no one in the world to financial support and other resettlements. and bar-coding getting completed likewise, a tation and singing of Gurbani Kirtans which he rejoice these moments with - no family, no The way he endured all hardships and yet new era of openness, transparency and provid- had by-heart during his early teens. For hours on relatives, no friends to return to, brought S. end, he would sit quietly immersed in the divine managed to sustain his strong will and faith have ing services comparatively faster would take Kirpal Singh to an unusually saddest point an alluring appeal to it. He would say that even if 'ras' of meditation, his face reflecting a yogic 'tej'. in his life. But this time before he could place in Revenue Department in the UT of Contrarily, this holy child was equally interested not in the army, you could be patriotic in so many weigh the two options of 'do or die', ways by being dedicated to your work and duty as Jammu and Kashmir. in popular outdoor village sports and during his Waheguru intervened in the form of a sen- late teens, he had developed a reputation for a housewife, student, teacher, doctor, engineer, or ior army officer from Jammu who when he any other profession. He would urge people to Potential “carriers” standing an undefeated champion in kabaddi and was told that my father was all alone in the respect the Tiranga and insist everyone to stand achieving many daring feats. world, offered to take him home to live up in praise and honour of the National Anthem He seemed to have taken his spiritual and with him. The kindness, support and gen- of virus to be tested martial inspiration from Guru Gobind Singh ji erosity offered by this man strengthed my whenever or wherever it was being sung or It is an established fact that grocery, vegetable Maharaj - the spiritual master, warrior, poet and father's faith in god. played on TV, radio or live. He was filled with philosopher whose blessings reverberated love and pride for this beautiful country and its and milk shops and other vending outlets are most The Government of India did offer through his heart and mind, while supreme sacri- some benefits with retirement but he countrymen, his family and all those who had lost frequented by the people and almost on daily fices of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, refused to accept those and decided to con- their loved ones to gain this most treasured inde- basis, the vendors and shopkeepers, therefore, Rajguru and many other brave freedom fighters tinue his service for many more years. By pendence which we all are enjoying today. come in contact with the customers and vice versa. of Colonial India inspired him to join the army. this time he had risen from an infantry sol- I may have missed some important accounts, Although his parents wanted him to settle with a dier to a Subedar and treated his army uni- years or places in my narration, but I feel it was These points of buying and selling specially the decent caring woman and start a family with her, form like a holy book. more important for me to finally get myself to my father had different plans for his life. He vendors could be silent carriers of the deadly infec- Soon this news spread in Jammu that a write the narrative of the unsung hero and a pris- tion of corona-virus. To obliterate chances of craved for a life of service, devotion, sacrifice and Muzffarabad, all members of his family- his old young prisoner of war who had lost his entire honour which could only be attained from joining oner of 1947 war, who had lost and gained so spreading of infection, the Union Health Ministry grandparents, father, mother, sisters and brothers family in the Kabaili attack at Chakhoti village much in life. the Army. - all stood facing River Jhelum, probably hud- was now living with a generous Army Officer in has very rightly decided to have these vulnerable Thus, after completing his degree from I take this opportunity to thank all army per- dled up close and saying their last prayers to Jammu. And, as luck would have it, some distant sonnel under whom, my father had got trained, vendors tested for the virus. It has, therefore, Lahore University in mid-1946, against the wish- Waheguru and praying for the safety of my father, relatives of my father heard this news. They had es of his parents, my father left for Jammu to join the Government at the helm of affairs during that asked the states and the UTs to take up testing of hoping to see him and meeting each other again in long assumed him to be dead in the war. With time, the present government, brave Indian Army Maharaja Hari Singh's army. their next life. some efforts, they were able to trace him in these people on priority basis. Maharaja welcomed the young and handsome as a whole, the generous army officer and the car- Early and timely detection of cases would go a Everyone ended their lives by jumping into Jammu. Their thrill knew no bounds when they ing distant relatives of my father who filled empty Sikh youth who had volunteered for military serv- the river in self-defence preferring to save their met my father and found him alive and breathing. long way in saving lives and preventing the spread ices. After rigorous training when the time came spaces in my father's life learned professors under honour rather than to get killed by their enemies. S. Kirpal Singh began to live with them in whom he trained to become a 'Giani', and to all- for joining the most prestigious Jammu and Thus, before their young and valiant son their home. All lost family hours and family time of the virus. The general public as customers them- loving, all-knowing, all-powerful Guru Maharaj Kashmir Rifles infantry unit, Maharaja himself could do anything to save his family or to fulfil was relived with them. And in due course of time, selves are required to adhere to the safety and pre- in whose divine light my father peacefully rests was present during his induction to morally boost their expectations of him, his familial world had he also found a decent homely woman to marry now having breathed his last on 9th October cautionary measures strictly which in most of the all new recruits, an incident which would be ended. No last words spoken, no goodbyes said, and start his family with. In his later years, he cases, is not done even now, knowing fully that the proudly recalled by my father many years later. no hope to see each other ever alive again. A ter- went on to earn a Degree in 'Giani' which was an 2015. pandemic is spreading fast and there is no decline Maharaja's army was known to be powerful, rifying vacuum was created forever in S. Kirpal Honours in Punjabi Language and Literature This is my humble salute to him. deeply devoted and ready to die for their Singh's heart which intensified his misery as the Course from the University of Jammu. For this, (The author is a social activist and an education consultant.) in daily cases of new infected people even though Maharaja and the state of J&K. My father consid- [email protected] mortality rate is continuously coming down in India as compared to other countries. (The views expressed by the authors are their personal)