Hyderabad: Multiple generations of Kashmiris are trapped in the events of the erstwhile state, even as there’s a newer generation that has not seen the 1990s Kashmiri Pandit exodus, said journalist and author Rahul Pandita at the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) on Sunday, January 25.
Speaking at a session titled “Permanence of impermanence,” along with radio jockey Umair Ahmed Khan, Pandita, who is known for his reporting from conflict zones, said youngsters in Kashmir have hope because they don’t “carry baggage.”
Both Pandita and Khan have written fictional novels on Kashmir – “The Valley of Unfinished Songs” and “Our Friends in Good Houses,” respectively – although the latter’s book isn’t all about Kashmir.
Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit himself, recalled how he went back to his family home in Kashmir in 1998 after they were forced to leave abruptly. “I took photographs of the house, but I did not show my parents. Kashmir needs to be seen with a fresh set of eyes,” he said.
Khan, who visits relatives in Kashmir every summer, said that every time he came back to Mumbai, he was “always left wondering what will happen to the state when I am away.”
“Kashmir teaches you philosophy… it is better understood in poetry,” he said.
Khan recollected how he went to an area heavily populated by Kashmiri Pandits, where he saw many houses of the community crumbling at a distance. “I wrote about one such home. But, as the maple leaf changes colour by the season in Kashmir, that is also the story of Kashmiris,” he added.
From non-fiction to fiction
Pandita co-wrote the 2020 film “Shikara,” inspired by his writings on the Kashmiri Pandit exodus. However, he is also known for his reporting from some of India’s armed conflict zones, as well as writing many books about his real-life experiences.
When asked why he pivoted to writing non-fiction in his new book, Pandita said to a captivated audience, “When I reported from conflict zones, I felt a gap between the ground reality and what I wrote. There’s always an additional meaning that a journalist can’t express. Despite best intentions, a journalist can’t show despair. That’s why I wrote fiction.”
The Hyderabad Literary Festival that began on Saturday, January 24, at the Sattva Knowledge City in Hitech City, has seen large crowds of people gather for the annual event, which, among others, features authors, journalists, filmmakers, etc, and is now in its 15th year.
