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Sep 16, 2025
Antara Deshpande

The Bengal Files - A Young Bharatiya’s Perspective

When I first heard about The Bengal Files, I didn’t think Bengal, as a state, had been through enough to make a movie about. Of course, I had heard about direct action day in school, reading a faint sentence about it in my history books, but was that one-line description an incident enough to make a 3-hour 20-minute movie? I was excited to see what Vivek Agnihotri had made, given his work in The Kashmir Files. This is an 18-year-old Bharatiya’s perspective on The Bengal Files. As an aspiring actress, I appreciate how the writer sowed the seeds of each scene, later synthesised by the director and transformed in a metamorphic way. The crisp use of symbolism gave the movie a lot of depth. The story starts with Shiva Pandit, a Kashmiri IPS officer who is being transferred to Bengal to solve the case of a young missing woman named Gita, where the local minority MLA is suspected to be involved. He attempts to solve this case while dealing with Hindu-Muslim dynamics, illegal immigration, organised rape and corruption. The prime suspect is Bharati Banerjee, a very old woman suffering from dementia. She is the central character that tethers us to the pre-independence Bengal and present Bengal, linking the present issues to the old bloodshed of 1946. She is someone who has seen the horrifying sights of Direct Action Day firsthand and represents Bharat Mata. We can see a young Bharati walk the lifeless streets of her once vibrant, culturally rich and progressive city, Calcutta, mourning the dead, just like Bharat Mata had to see her children suffer. Another noticeable symbolism is that everyone around Bharati dies. I think this represents how almost all the cultures in the world have been destroyed without a trace. Whether it was because of British invaders or Mughal invaders, they have wiped out other cultures only to impose their own. But India, rather Sanatan Dharma, is one tree that they couldn’t uproot, because the seeds were deeply sown all across Bharat. When Gulaam, a radical Muslim leader from Noahkhali, at the stroke of midnight on 14th August, tattoos ‘Aaesha Jahaan’ on Bharti’s arm, to me it symbolised the stamping of Pakistan on Bharat. Before the graphic killing of the ‘Gandhi-influenced’ Judge, Gulaam asks him what justice and secularism are, where the character answers, fearing for his life, “when everybody has equal rights”. Gulaam kicks him across the face, saying a kafir never has equal rights as those of a Muslim. This signified that justice and secularism are irrelevant in a radicalised society run by ruthless barbarians. The movie has been successful in bringing to light the truth that has been hiding in the shadows for 70 years. Not only is Direct Action Day not spoken about enough, but the events following Direct Action Day were swept under the rug. There is a constant attempt to hide what has been going on in Bengal right now. Using the minority card to change the demography, illegal immigration, corruption. Every frame in The Bengal Files is well planned, which is evident in small details like a photo frame of a former leader or a picture or an idol of a Hindu god. Especially, the last scene where we can see Maa Durga in the background. Nataraj, Bhagwan Shiva’s form worshipped by performing artists, is placed in the background at the Hindu Mahasabha office in Noahkhali. The idol complements the scene because that is where Bharati explains the significance of Bengal as the literary vein of Bharat. A few scenes capture chickens in the background in cages, fluttering to be freed. I felt they symbolised Hindus. Mithun Chakraborty’s character was one that guides Shiva throughout the movie, and I think he symbolises Bhagwan Dattatreya. He was surrounded by four dogs in a scene. According to Hindu philosophy, the four dogs signify the four Vedas. Here, they symbolise the four lions of the Ashok emblem. Eklavya Sood, the actor who played Amarjeet Arora, showed great conviction in his character, which made me feel he was an ex-WW2 soldier in his past life. The movie also captures how MK Gandhi's “extreme ahimsa” affected the well-being of Hindus. Gandhi's delusion of pursuing the perennially elusive Hindu-Muslim unity was portrayed effectively by Anupam Kher, and his portrayal shows how the personality of MK Gandhi was able to hypnotise the masses. The film could have been even more effective if the Young Bharati had more horror on her face since her whole life was turned upside down in a few minutes. Also, Gopalchandra Mukherjee, aka “Gopal Patha”, suddenly disappears after a point in the film. He played a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of Hindus in Calcutta and should have had more screen time. One of the most likeable characters was given an unrealistic death. The Kashmir Files captured a very gruesome death at the end of the movie, where a woman was sawed in half while she was still alive. I think they tried to replicate that same intensity here. Towards the end of the film, we come back to the missing girl, who perhaps represents the link we have with our roots. Our motherland is fertile, and the strong tree which stands tall is Bharat. Our Shrimadh Bhagwad Gita is like seeds that are potent enough to sprout, although it awaits our efforts to pick up the shovel and dig deep. As a Bharatiya, the movie had my heart aching for the Hindus of Bengal. The movie tries to invoke the survival instincts of the Hindu community, where one would want to go to Bengal to change today’s situation. But me going to Bengal myself to fight, all inspired by Patha, would be senseless. Then there won’t be any difference between me and Shiva Pandit or the Judge if I walk into a crowd full of rioters, no matter how much I contradict their intentions. What I’m doing is encouraging people to watch movies like The Bengal Files, because it reminds us of what happens when one does not learn from the past. Bharat is in desperate need of unity, and movies like The Bengal Files are the need of the hour. I watched the film with my parents; we are a nuclear family just like Bharati’s. When she lost her parents, I felt it. I took my friend to watch it, and I saw tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of Hindus getting butchered in their own homes. If our pain is the same, why can’t we help the people going through that pain? The attitude of not wanting to bother just because we don’t live there is dumb and futile. It is high time that we call out what goes on in the name of secularism. Otherwise, the next partition of Bharat will sneak up on us in no time. Image provided by the author.

Sep 15, 2025
Dr. Bharani Padmanabhan

Synergy of Yoga & Modern Medicine for Wholistic Health & Joyful Living

It is my pleasure to write a review of Synergy of Yoga & Modern Medicine for Wholistic Health & Joyful Living. This 16-chapter book aims to inspire holistic living and wellness by highlighting the scientific basis of yogic practices, prompting you to ask yourself: What’s my excuse for not taking care of myself? Importantly, it demonstrates its usefulness in managing or preventing chronic illnesses, such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes, as well as anxiety, and makes the point that yoga isn’t just about stretches and postures. I find it refreshing that the book is not wimpy theoretical handwaving but instead a hands-on guide with eyes open and feet on the ground that will be usable from the get go for those grappling with fast-paced pressures (that, if left alone, intrude into our health space and time), patients, their caregivers, healthcare professionals, yoga enthusiasts in various phases of life and expertise, and proactive individuals deliberately invested in healthy longevity for whom yogic meditation is a useful addition to their NAD+ and klotho supplements. Dr. Shroff is an exemplary medical professional whom I also know personally as a warm, genuine soul. His unusual perspective, as a surgeon who integrates yoga with modern medicine, and his experience over four decades in sports medicine, fitness coaching, and teaching yoga instructors inform the book’s approach. Dr. Shroff provides specific examples of how people have benefited from various yoga practices. He aims to help each of us enhance harmony, health, and happiness. Find yourself in this book. The observation that the best camera is the one you have when you need one applies to the wisdom in this book. Dr. Shroff has set out to make it easy for you to remember his insights when needed, through scientific correlations, nuggets, and poems. The novel emphasis on curating the scientific data that underpins ancient empirical practices enhances understanding. The book is structured with each chapter being standalone and designed to help with a particular task, though one can, of course, read it sequentially from beginning to end. This structure enables readers to navigate the book and locate the information they need easily. This book is not just a one-time read, but a lifelong companion. It's a resource that will prompt you to think and act repeatedly over the years. It has already had a bigger impact on me than Das Energi by Paul Williams. It will surely become a well-thumbed book, used daily in homes, on beaches, in airport lobbies, and even in these digital times.