Abstract
from and Review of Book: Kashmir: A Paradise Lost by KHALID AKHTAR (JR 208 KA 01)
Abstract:
“The
city was indeed a tourist hub but he saw only a gloom prevailing around him. He
would often look up towards the sky and then gazed down at his shikara.
Be
it spring or the season of autumn, the Nargis flowers never failed to blossom
and the tall chinars always stood firm” (The Chinar Speaks) first chapter
Review
The
book introduces you to the different sides of the conflict in Kashmir and the
indomitable spirit of its inhabitants. There is no
dearth of texts written on Kasmir and yet, the author has created indescribable
versions of the crude emotions persisting in its people.
It
portrays how Kashmir, which was once a paradise, has been calling out since
long, In the form of its cloaked stories to regain its paradisiacal culture.
The
author has beautifully sewn together, the tales of ground realities of the
place. The stories boldly reflect how politics and conflicts of the state have
brutally thrashed the life of common people who are caught in the middle of the
long struggle.
With
beautiful characters like that of Bashir or with Annan and with poignant
stories like that of Shokat returning to his home- the emotions become vivid
and make want to delve deep into the abyss of lost memories of the place. In
short, with 14 short stories, this book aspires to uncover the unheard emotions
of Kashmiris. Without a direct hit towards the discordant issues, the author
has successfully described hueful nuances of those stories which have been
muffled by the winds of propaganda.
