Light on a Luminary

O P Sharma and Manaj Kumar

Name of Book : Quest of Life
Author : Dr. Bhavneet Kaur
& Sumit Sharma
Publisher : Shubhi Publications, Gurgaon.
Year : 2018
Pages : 129
Price : Rs 395

This 129-page book, an English novel by Dr Bhavneet Kaur and Sumit Sharma, is a story of struggle as well as success in the post-Partition era in Jammu and Kashmir State. The family of Dr. Bhavneet Kaur has migrated from Bagh area in Poonch, across the Line of Control (now in Pakistan occupied part of this State). Dr.S.S. Soodan, an eminent Opthalmologist and father of Dr Bhavneet Kaur, who had shifted and settled in Jammu region, is now heading an organization for amity and understanding between India and Pakistan for durable normalcy in the region.
Dr. Bhavneet Kaur has already authored two famous fiction novels . These two publications were very well received in the literary circles and established her as a person with a skill for literary activities. She has said that she drew inspiration from her parents Dr. S. S. Soodan and mother, Dr. Parveen Kaur.
Joint Literary Venture
In this ‘Quest of Life ‘ novel, Sumit Sharma an able broadcaster and having a flair for writing has also made commendable contribution by way of a series of in-depth interviews with Dr. S. S. Soodan who is the main character of this novel. This is Sumit’s first collaborative work in the field of literature.
‘Quest of Life’ is not yet another bio-graphical English novel but the entire story is woven round the heroic story and struggle of a human to make sustained endeavours for purposeful and productive facts narrated in this novel. But there is also sprinkling of fiction to make this publication both interesting and instructive.
Facts and Fiction
The very chapter “Prologue” depicting the scene of a cremation ground where an almost dead person was found by Dr. S. S. Soodan to be having life and so brought to a hospital for medical treatment. A rare human gesture.
In this literary novel, Sumit Sharma has conducted series of informative interviews with Dr. S. S. Soodan which add to the substance and charm of the book. Of course, the style of literacy expression by Dr. Bhavneet Kaur, who is posted as Professor of Pediatric in the Indira Gandhi Dental College and Hospital, Jammu has left deep imprints of her personality and literary style.
The narrative about the ‘madness of 1947’ with merciless killings on both sides is horrific and a scar on the Indo-Pak horizon. Each incident of killing of humanity has been narrated in a graphic way. Not only this, the awakened humanity in some of the chapters and the main hero in this book, have preached humanely to be on a saner path of peace and development for the overall well being of the human-kind.
This English novel was released by Khursheed Ahmad Ganai at a well-attended function on Sunday last at K L Saigal Hall, Jammu. It was a high literary interactive session attended by great literary luminaries.
The ‘Quest of Life’ novel was published by Shubhi Publications, Gurgaon is finely printed on a quality paper. Its good narration and impressive style has a definite message for the entire humanity that violence or gun culture is self-destructive and the eternal message of harmony, mutual cooperation and sustained progress is the only way forward. This book will be of special interest to the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir.
This novel will be of deep interest for the academicians, students, common citizens and also political leadership. This is moderately priced book must be read by all the citizens and draw appropriate lessons so that present generation gets firmly committed to peace, progress and humanity. Certainly this book must be kept on our bookshelves and also in the public libraries for wider readership.
(Starline Syndicate Service)

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