I must confess:
1. It’s been some time I blogged.
2. I never found a compelling reason to blog.
Well if you see things from my perspective, I thought the world was not much different from the time I last posted:
• Kashmir still comes with excess baggage
• India and China are a perceived threat to other countries when it comes to jobs
• I am still with the same organisation…
• I enjoy the same boring capuchinno everyday
• I pay my Flat maintenance bills
• Traffic in Kurla is a still a head ache
Today I write to tell you about a book , a book that really deserves mention. It’s a graphic novel and goes by the name “Kashmir Pending” and is written by NASSERahmed and SAURABHsingh.
This was my first tryst with a graphic novel and was impressed by the simplicity of the art, unlike the heavy graphics imposed on you in other graphic comics noir.
The book talks about a time in Kashmir valley when it was ridden with conflicts from both within and outside. The story is a first degree narrative by the main character who from being a confused and retinent teenager moves on to the boundaries of revolutionary training camps and war zones.
The protagonist recalls the days of protests and the mood in Srinagar and how he gets influenced by the discontentment that was brewing in Kashmir at that time. He goes on a journey that changes his life, and what he thinks about freedom. What strikes you most is the poignant depiction of the dark and gloomy climate striven with blood and anger. The novel uses black and red colours on the graphic to bring about the mood, which takes it a step closer to reality.
The main character, Mustaq transforms from an angry young man to a defiant veteran who finds peace and salvation at the end of a life –changing experience.
The book is not a serious take on what Kashmir is , but yes, it does give you an outlook of what Kashmir was at that time ..a time when Mustaq as a child continued with the tradition of hurling granite stones on to the boats of the Jhelum river aiming the BSF personnel…..He never knew the reason why he and his friends in the past did it…it was just for the rage…It was the battle within..
There are days I cannot help but share an interesting experience ..This was one of them..
