On 11 and 13 May 1998, India conducted declared nuclear weapons tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan. Pakistan followed suit with its own atomic test explosions on 28 May 1998.

On the 24th anniversary of these tests, we will be hosting a conversation with acclaimed documentary film maker, Anand Patwardhan, director of ‘War and Peace’ (2002) that captured in vivid detail the frenzy unleashed by the atomic tests on either side.

Produced meticulously using footage from political speeches, interventions by dissenting voices within the sub-continent as well as spectacles of public fervor for and protests against the nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan in 1998, Anand Patwardhan’s War and Peace brilliantly captures the jingoism that accompanied the tests, and is among the very few publicly available resources chronicling this important juncture in the region’s atomic history.

The film, shot across India, Pakistan, Japan and the United States, offers a holistic and critical perspective on nuclearization and militarization in the region. While the stories behind the making of ‘War and Peace’ are captivating and deeply thought-provoking, Anand’s prolonged legal battles in Indian courts to get the documentary released without cuts, is also a gripping tale of navigating and confronting the frightening consensus around the bogies of the bomb and national security.

In this DiaNuke Online Conversation, Anand Patwardhan will offer his brief opening remarks, followed by a QnA session which will be devoted to discussing both, this important and pertinent documentary, as well as the broader issues surrounding nuclear weaponization / disarmament etc. within the region.

Anand Patwardhan’s ‘War and Peace’: Watch Full-Length Documentary on India’s Nuclear Tests in 1998