Books I Like

Kashmir has been ill-served by India, by Pakistan, by the militants and by its own politicians who have failed to work out a compromise. It has turned the serene valley into the bloodied nose of Asia. “Curfewed Night” is a chronicle from the eyes of a Kashmiri growing up in the valley and watching it transform into a hotbed of violent militancy pitted against state oppression. It is also about people unwilling to lose their identity. What is it about identity that causes people to sacrifice their future in its name? Identity is the most powerful mobilizing force in history. But what happens when identity gets into a perpetual conflict with those who wish to crush it?

Peer tells the story of this valley at peace in the 1980s but also of a people who consciously refused to associate themselves with India. Then- long before the terrorism and violence of that we’ve grown accustomed to- national identity had one litmus test: which side were you on of Miandad’s famous last ball sixer at Sharjah? Peer describes the jubilation that his family, his neighborhood and his valley experienced when Miandad hit Chetan Sharma out of the ground to win Pakistan an impossible victory. Pakistan won and Kashmir jubilated. It wasn’t just Pakistan. Kashmiris supported any and all teams which played against India. They rejected India more than they associate with Pakistan- a point often forgotten by Pakistanis. In subjection Kashmiris held on to their identity and rejected the one imposed on them. For other books on Kashmir and issues in Kashmir click here...