Kiran Kohli Narain’s vivacity is infectious. At 73, the author’s joie de vivre is something we should try to emulate. The launch of her book, “Kashmir, The Loss of Innocence”, saw friends, family and the crème-de-la-crème of the city in full attendance. Mention the word Kashmir and you are bound to witness sharply divided opinions on the strife-torn state in raised voices at any discussion or debate. And there were few strong outpourings in this event too, from the audience and the panellists alike during the discussion owing to political decisions shaping Kashmir’s political landscape.
We live in the turbulent times. There is global outrage on the recent terror attacks in Paris, killing hundreds of innocent. But the very preface of her book makes us and her forget that Kashmir has witnessed worse bloodletting from time to time.
“The best years of my life-childhood, youth, and a part of my married life were spent in Jammu and Kashmir. Like a whisper of love, finely drawn recollections resonate in my ears. The years were full of laughter, love, and joy and yet, having lived through some of its most turbulent years – from Kabaili attack of 1947 to the exodus of 1990s. As I look back today, my memories are a collection of bitter-sweet moments of a paradise lost.”
This was reiterated by parliamentarian Dr. Karan Singh, (the son of the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Kashmir and Jammu, Maharaja Hari Singh) in the foreword to the book.
“The youngest of six daughters of the well-known botanist P.N Kohli who looked after my father’s, and later my orchards for many years, she not only traces her own life from a little child in Srinagar down to the present, but also chronicles the turbulent events that have blighted the beautiful valley of Kashmir.”
She brings out a point generally overlooked that migrations from the Valley were not confined to the Kashmiri Pandits but also included a fair number of Dogras and Punjabis who had settled there during Dogra rule and had been living there for a century.
But it was a happy occasion for Kiran as she reminisced about the good old times amidst old friends and family and refused to be drawn into a political debate. “Though I was a keen student of history, I always felt history is written by conquerors. They are always in a better light and the conquered never that well projected. So this is a piece of social history or literature which can give the generation a glimpse, a peep into the past. I have been very attached to Kashmir. My house is full of artefacts and furniture from Kashmir. We love to have kahwa when we meet together. This was something very dear to me to let people know how in Kashmir we lived like a big happy joint family, irrespective of our cultural background and religion. There were Parsis, like uncle Pestonjee, there were Buddhists, there were Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus. Nobody ever thought about our religion. We would wish each other Happy Eid.”For Kiran, writing the book was reliving happy memories and is something written for posterity – a gift for her grand-children.
But is a solution to the Kashmir quagmire really possible in our lifetimes, one asks in doubt. The author refuses to succumb to the cynicism and says, “I would not like to talk about the mistakes.” An eternal optimist, she sees light at the end of the tunnel. “There is still time. We should think in a positive way and we should involve, as Dr.Karan Singh said, ‘all regions of Jammu and Kashmir.’ And then without any selfish agenda people should peacefully talk.”
