What Sachit Thinks

Kashmir: A Two-Point Solution No One Wants to Try Kashmir: A Two-Point Solution No One Wants to Try Over the last two decades, there has been so much violence in Kashmir that it has become unbearable to watch, hear, or even read about. The tragedy feels endless, locked in a cycle of grief involving the familiar triumvirate: India, Pakistan, and the Kashmiris themselves (excluding Jammu and Leh–Ladakh here). There seems to be no end in sight to this cauldron of strife. An Impasse That Refuses to Move I do not know if this impasse will ever be resolved. Decades of diplomacy, militarisation, outrage, and mourning have produced remarkably little movement. But I believe there is a way forward. Just two points, really. 1. Hold the Plebiscite Having been promised since 1947, a referendum to decide the future of the region should finally be held. Ask Kashmiris—on both sides—what they want: Join India Join Pakistan Remain indepe...

URI: The Surgical Strike Review – When Nationalism Overpowers Cinema URI: The Surgical Strike — When Noise Replaces Nuance I’m writing this a bit late. I saw URI: The Surgical Strike with my wife on Valentine’s Day, 2019. As the credits rolled, my first reaction — and the first thing I told her — was simple: “Revenge begets revenge.” A couple of days later, Pulwama happened. The timing was chilling. That sentence — which felt philosophical inside a movie hall — suddenly felt prophetic. And it also made me reflect more deeply on what the film was trying to do, and more importantly, how it was doing it. Expectation vs Experience Truth be told, URI turned out exactly the way I expected it to be. Loud. Aggressive. Steeped in nationalistic jingoism. The emotional pitch was permanently set at “maaro saalon ko” — beat the bloody buggers — with little room left for pause, reflection, or complexity. Now, let me be clear. I h...