Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 1: The way great tragedy of Kashmiri Pandit exodus from their homeland is being allowed to be underplayed by the failed State needs to be challenged by facts. It is high time to bring out truth of the great wrong done to Kashmiri Pandits and its public acknowledgement through an internal dialogue, so that the younger generations born after 1990 have a correct picture of the great tragedy, said Rahul Pandita, writer of the highly acclaimed book ‘Our Moon Has Blood Clots’.
Being hailed as ‘deeply true’ account of the unspoken story of Kashmiri Pandits exodus from the Valley as result of the tragic conflict, Rahul Pandita’s compelling memoir, ‘Our Moon Has Blood Clots’ was launched by famed actor Sanjay Suri, at the Gian Chand Memorial Hall, University of Jammu, here today. Rahul Pandita has already written best selling ‘Hello Bastar: The Untold Story of India’s Maoist Movement’ and co-authored ‘The Absent State’.
In the program organized by publishing house Random House India, New Delhi, the young writer Rahul Pandita, who has received international accolades for describing the stark reality of Kashmiri Pandit migration and the associated insurmountable personal and community’s loss of homes and heart, was also present on the occasion and shared stage with Sanjay Suri and Ravinder Kaul.
Today’s function conducted by Rukul Kaul from Random House India, started with Rahul Pandita reading excerpts from his book about the day his family had moved to Jammu in taxi. The moving description of the journey and make shift shelter in Geeta Bhavan, brought tears in the eyes of many present in the audience that comprised of writers, journalists, intellectuals, and members of civil society.
Sanjy Suri, the famed actor with roots in Kashmir and whose father was murdered in 1990, also read excerpts from the book on the occasion. Ravinder Kaul, well known theatre and media personality, after reading an excerpt, started the question answer session with the Rahul Pandita who said that all along his personal journey after migration; loss of his brother, shifting to almost 22 accommodations, the urge to pen down his personal impressions as the 14 years old boy who was uprooted from ancestral home had remained a constant pre-occupation with him and which fructified to its completion with his visit to his ancestral home in 2007.
Prominent personalities present on occasion included Khalid Hussain, Mohan Singh, Hasrat Gadda, Dr Agnishekhar, M K Santoshi, Om Vidyarathi, Bihari Kak, Mahesh Kaul, Shailendra Gulhati, K K Raina, Pradeep Dutta, Rashmi Talwar, Avatar Mota, M K Bangroo, Dr R L Bhat, and Rita Jatinder.
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