Kashmir! Kashmir!: Tales that will make you empathise

 Ambika Shaligram


Is there a kid in your class who has a natural aptitude for running? Well, Zainab would be happy to meet them, to pick a tip or two. You see, Zainab has done her school proud by winning a race. 

And, then there is Bashir, who is pro at football, looking forward to his next match. Bet, you have another friend who is equally good at the sport. Oh yes, you should meet Rehman too, who might not be good at cricket like his friends. But he is at home on a sled, racing far ahead of his friends on the snow laden hilly tracks.

Maryam is inquisitive, always ready to talk and ask questions. Anam is a little shy, but has a way with words, the written, of course. Sajid wants to be something else, not a salesman, like his father. For the life of him, Sajid can't press upon the visitors to Dal Lake to buy pretty stuff. It is necessary, how else will they earn their livelihood, his father tries to impress upon Sajid.


These kids, alongwith a few others, feature in a clutch of nine stories written by Deepa Agarwal in her latest book, Kashmir! Kashmir! Published by Scholastic India, the book paints Kashmir in colours of saffron spice, weaves of kani shawl, rogan josh, and apples, presenting to the readers a culture that is not widely known. We know Kashmir through the news -- of  militancy, stone pelters, low internet connectivity, abrogation of Article 370, closure of schools. All of this is all covered in Kashmir! Kashmir! But the twist lies in the tales, each one achingly poignant, the characters who we hope to meet someday in flesh and blood when we travel next to the region are a testimony to Agarwal's empathetic writing. 

The elements of spirits, of thrill, fear, shame, love and longing have been superbly crafted into the stories by Agarwal and they linger on long after we have finished reading the stories, because we all have touched base with these emotions at some point in our lives and come out stronger. 

Agarwal, who has written over 50 books for both adults and children, has written this one for children and teenagers. But like all good books, Kashmir! Kashmir! transcends categories and labels and is bound to touch a chord with the adults too.

Name: Kashmir! Kashmir!

Author: Deepa Agarwal

Publisher: Scholastic India

Pages: 136


Comments

  1. Deepa Agarwal12 March 2021 at 14:02

    Thanks so much for this perceptive and empathetic review! I'm delighted to know that you discovered so much meaning in this book.

    ReplyDelete

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