Understanding Moksha

Understanding Moksha is a 2017 documentary film by D. Sameer Kumar. The purpose of the documentary is to explore and understand the concept of Moksha in the holy city of Varanasi. Some of the basic questions the documentary tries to answer are:
1. Who is God?
2. What is Moksha?
3. Can it be experienced?
Concept
"When I ponder about how Varanasi became the land of Moksha, I tell myself that the following is what must have happened - If we try to trace back the origins of Varanasi, we understand that human civilization started here because of the abundance of water and other natural resources. As it is located in the lap of nature, and along the banks of the soothing Ganga, whoever comes here naturally begins to introspect. Against the tenacity of nature, one is forced to be true to himself/herself and accept his/her Karma, as a result of which, the place begins to seem like an ideal place for a peaceful death. Slowly, as religion and myths developed, Varanasi got established as the ideal place for death. However, in the process, it was forgotten how Varanasi became what it is. The rituals and traditions remain, but the simple truth about how it all began is lost. As centuries passed, such beliefs and practices have normalized death to the people of Varanasi and now, they accept death as it comes. The documentary is an attempt to understand if this is how it all began.
There is a line in Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a short story by Richard Bach, that says, “Who is more responsible than a gull who finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a thousand years we have scrabbled after fish heads, but now we have a reason to live - to learn, to discover, to be free!” Like the seagull, people set off to fly - to find and understand what is called Moksha. The residents of the salvation hotels belong to one flock and Sadhus another. Kabir - if he had wings, they would be as pure as starlight.
I find a great similarity in the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and the river Ganga. Here’s how I find Ganga’s journey - A drop, as pure as a twinkle, formed in the Gangotri. It poured from the top of the mountains like a star falling from the sky and rolled down the slopes of Himalayas with the exuberance of a young child going down a slide. In streams it surged, along rivers it swayed. Across lands it sailed, days and nights it travelled. It grew calmer as it flowed through the plains; the growing wonder of where the water made way. A day came when there was water, water, everywhere. The drop, ever so small, joined the ocean, the vastness. And towards the horizon it coursed, where the sky and water seemed to meet. With a reason to live - to learn, to discover, to be free, it formed again in Gangotri and rolled gown the slopes the more exuberance than ever, to conquer the ocean, drop by drop.
It Moksha a way to live or where you die?"
- D Sameer Kumar
Director
Synopsis
Moksha - simple, yet profound. For some, it's a lifelong search. For some, it's as simple as being free. Some search for an answer to the fundamental question of who we are. Some search for a way to transcend. As many people, as many quests and meanings. Whichever path one chooses, whatever answer one seeks, a journey begins. Keeping this in mind, the major sequences in the film include:
Manikarnika Ghat: On an average, 150-200 dead bodies are cremated here per day. The lives of the people living here is surrounded by death in all directions and their livelihood is dependent on the deaths of people.
Life of Kabir is an integral part of the documentary. He lived all his life in Varanasi but met his death elsewhere. Through his songs, the film interprets and understands his concept of Moksha.

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