New Delhi: The struggle of one of the thousands of victims of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in performing his duties towards his family is the crux of a new novel.
Teacher-writer Anita Krishan`s "Tears of Jhelum" is a poignant narrative of the life of Wali Mohammad Khan who has been a silent witness to the violence all these years. Wali and his family managed to live a seemingly normal life within the protective walls of their home hoping that they won`t be affected by the violence that terrorism unleashed in the Valley.
But his illusions get shattered when a ghost from his past returns to bring the insanity of terrorism right into his home, threatening everything he holds dear. He is trapped in a terrible situation by terrorists who took his family hostage.
The book, published by Fingerprint, touches topics such as love for one`s family, the duties of a father, religious fanaticism, and terrorism, and the plight of Kashmiri Pandits. According to the author, terrorism is a plague which is slowly fraying the very fabric of Kashmiri society.
She decided to write the novel after the 2004 abduction and killing of an IRCON engineer, involved in the work of laying of tracks in the Srinagar-Baramullah section, and his brother by militants in Jammu and Kashmir. She was in the valley on a visit with her husband when this incident took place.
