Author : Rajesh Talwar
Genre : Fiction - Drama and PlaysASIN : B072JCY12R
Publisher : ---
Publication : 2017
Pages : 196
Binding : Kindle Edition
Plot :
The play opens with a scene in a garden opposite a large double-storey house in which a young teenage boy of school going years confesses his love to a young girl. The boy, Rohan, is a Kashmiri Hindu and the girl, Ayesha, a Muslim. The two families, the Pandits and the Shahs are neighbors. Soon after this profession of love, together with thousands of other Kashmiri Pandits, the boy and his family are forced to leave Srinagar, leaving their house and possessions behind. It is the beginning of 1990 that marks the Kashmiri Pandit exodus. At first the family stays in a refugee camp in Jammu, awaiting the possibility of return, but hopes of return rapidly dwindling, eventually they move to Delhi. Rohan, who is still in school, decides to join the Indian Army.
Ten years pass. Rohan is now a Major in the army, and is transferred to Srinagar, where he once again encounters Ayesha and her brother who is now part of the independence movement. What will happen now? Will Rohan and Ayesha’s childhood romance be rekindled? Will Ayesha’s brother be arrested or killed by the Indian army? The play explores sensitive issues in a fair and compassionate manner trying to bring in all points of view, eventually reaching the conclusion that the interests of Kashmiris is best served by their choosing to remain with India.
Essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the tragedy that is present day Kashmir and the way forward…
Ten years pass. Rohan is now a Major in the army, and is transferred to Srinagar, where he once again encounters Ayesha and her brother who is now part of the independence movement. What will happen now? Will Rohan and Ayesha’s childhood romance be rekindled? Will Ayesha’s brother be arrested or killed by the Indian army? The play explores sensitive issues in a fair and compassionate manner trying to bring in all points of view, eventually reaching the conclusion that the interests of Kashmiris is best served by their choosing to remain with India.
Essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the tragedy that is present day Kashmir and the way forward…
My Rating : 3 ☆'s
Review :
First of all I would like to express my gratitude for this opportunity to review the book.
Moving on to the book review...
For every Indian, Kashmir is a hot topic. For some, its a vote-bank, for others its a national crisis, and yet something entirely different for other. But what is Kashmir for its residents, or yet again, for the pandits who had to uproot their lives in a single night and leave their homes of generations gone by.
The play, written by Mr. Rajesh Talwar, is a retelling of the Hindu Pandits Exodus back in 1990s. It is intertwined and fictionalized with a friendship between a Hindu Pandit family and a Muslim family and a love story between a Hindu Pandit boy and a Muslim girl.
The play is an easy, fast paced read with a simple plot. Character building is as good as it can be in such a short play. But the love story wasn't of importance in this play, what was important was the information with regards to Kashmir and the situation in Kashmir and it pains me to admit, that I wasn't aware of all these facts till i read this book. And on that note, I am once again thankful for the opportunity to review and the review copy.
This was my first play, and frankly I found it very flat - as there is not much buildup with respect to the plot, it just goes head on into the thick of things - but the whole read was so interesting and intriguing, that it definitely kept me hooked to the book.
Now there were certain flaws - what I can't stand is a not well edited book - grammatical errors, spelling blunders, missed words. Also, some facts were kind of mixed up, and these are not big things but small things like Dusherra being celebrated in December or a 42" TV in India, back in the 90's. So maybe the author needs to work a little harder on getting the facts right.
My verdict, its a wonderful read if you want to know some things about the situation in Kashmir. I am sure, there would be other books out there, which may be more focused or better. But this book, because of the way, its been written makes it very simple to understand the situation for an ignorant person. And thus, its a good pick for a quick fact file reading.
Happy Reading!
This was my first play, and frankly I found it very flat - as there is not much buildup with respect to the plot, it just goes head on into the thick of things - but the whole read was so interesting and intriguing, that it definitely kept me hooked to the book.
Now there were certain flaws - what I can't stand is a not well edited book - grammatical errors, spelling blunders, missed words. Also, some facts were kind of mixed up, and these are not big things but small things like Dusherra being celebrated in December or a 42" TV in India, back in the 90's. So maybe the author needs to work a little harder on getting the facts right.
My verdict, its a wonderful read if you want to know some things about the situation in Kashmir. I am sure, there would be other books out there, which may be more focused or better. But this book, because of the way, its been written makes it very simple to understand the situation for an ignorant person. And thus, its a good pick for a quick fact file reading.
Happy Reading!
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