Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi along with Dr Sachchanand Joshi, Member Secretary of Indira Gandhi Center for the Arts and Culture (IGNCA), released Ashish Kaul’s research monograph- StreeDesh- the forgotten legendary women of Kashmir.
The StreeDesh is the first ever research monograph to document the forgotten women achievers of undivided J&K that chronicle life and times of 13 legendary women of J&K who were eradicated by various tyrants and zealots who ruled the J&K.
Many dignitaries including Ambassadors of various countries and Sanjukta Mudgal, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Culture were also present during the event.
“I feel like a father of these 13 women who were forgotten by history and our own country,” said Kaul and adding that the world needs to know that the greatest achievements in the world that included world’s first network of public distribution of food grains, first cooperative banking system, world’s first paid army, world’s first commando force, counter intelligence mechanism, the greatest war strategy ever created -the guerrilla warfare, Parliamentary form of Government, tax reforms including many others were a gift to the world by the women of J&K.
Kaul said, “Project StreeDesh took me across challenging geographical regions of the world including Afghanistan and Iran in the search of our history. Apart from the film and the research monograph project, StreeDesh includes 13 independent books chronicling the life and times of these 13 incredible women. Didda-the warrior queen of Kashmir which was released by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan was the first book in the series.
Dr Sachidanand said that Ashish Kaul’s StreeDesh has placed the women of J&K on the world centre stage. Over the years, these women were lost in time and previous political regimes failed in restoration of the glorious past.
The StreeDesh was shot across historical locations at Kashmir, Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri. Apart from directing the film, Ashish Kaul scripted, handled cinematography and managed the production of the film which was based on 13 women right from 5 BC to 11th century.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
