War and Peace

Since their independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have been involved in a long drawn out conflict over the border province of Kashmir. The countries have already fought two wars and, in the wake of America’s ‘war on terrorism’ they are again facing each other and rattling sabres. Unlike the previous confrontations, they now have atom bombs. The beautifully filmed documentary War and Peace could not have been released at a better time.Anand Patwardhan shows the social and cultural context in which this last nuclear threat has to be placed. He shows how nationalist and religious war rhetoric and incredible examples of folk patriotism eventually lead to having the bomb. In addition, he shows how the bomb undermines the health, already bad, of the people living in the areas where the bomb has been tested or where the radioactive components are mined. A third storyline is formed by the activities of anti nuclearweapons campaigners from both countries, who regularly visit each other. They provide heartwarming scenes of friendship between ordinary people from India and Pakistan. In this film larded with black humour, Patwardhan leaves no doubt that the seed of real peace lies with the people. Not much can be expected of the government leaders, who cannot possibly be both a product of and a remedy against the politics of hatred.