Book reading session based on the persecution, exodus and exile of Kashmiri Pandits hosted by Mrs. Ratan Kaul and Leher Sethi In association with Bloomsbury India
Some of the esteemed guests present at the event were Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Farooq Abdullah,News Anchor Barkha Dutt, Lt. Gen. S.A Hasnain, Algeria's Ambassador to India
Hamza Yahia-Cherif and Ambassador of CYPRUS - HE Demetrios A. Theophylactou, Designer Leena Singh , Vaastu Expert Jai Madaan to name a few.
“In my twin capacities of Executive President KASHMIRIYAT PRESERVATION FOUNDATION & Advisor DELHI LIT FEST it was only fitting that we commemorate this black day when we Kashmiri Pandits had to forcibly flee our homes in the state of J&K. Siddhartha Gigoo's poignant tale of a quarter of a century in exile of the Pandits in their own country is a moving account of a community adrift,Displaced and alienated. The forced exile, overnight changed the demographic profile of the state - a 5000 years unbroken record of indigenous domicile totally wiped out. Like the famed 'hangul ' of the state the KP also veers dangerously towards extinction .The book hopes to highlight the human tragedy and restore the faith”, Says Ratan Kaul.
“As someone whose parents belong to Jammu, I was aware of the goings on even as a child. Growing up, stories of my parents Kashmiri Pandit friends' exile were part of drawing room conversations. This is a part of our history we have chosen to ignore since it's not been given the kind of attention it deserves! The tales in this book are humane accounts of real people who suffered for no fault of theirs, and these are stories that needed to be told. Siddhartha & Varad have taken up the task to do so, and I commend them for it. It is my privilege to be supporting the cause through the launch of this significant book.”, Says Leher Sethi
About The Book:
Featuring haunting memoirs of three generations, this book voices the angst of the displaced Pandits forced to live in exile in their own country, India, battling alienation, and dangling between hope and despair. It bears testimony to how this dwindling community, whose only dream is to return home, feels betrayed by the Muslims of Kashmir, and the two countries, India and Pakistan. The persecution and ouster of the Pandits from Kashmir in 1990 remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of modern India.
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