Journalist Gowhar Geelani's debut book "Kashmir: Rage and Reason" was formally launched here today which was attended to by members of Kashmir civil society, media fraternity and students. The book is published by Rupa Publications.
The formal launch was followed by a panel discussion which was moderated by journalist Shahana Butt while historian and academic Prof Siddiq Wahid, academic Hameeda Nayeem, author Mir Khalid, columnist Mehmood Ur Rasheed and author himself formed the rest of the panel.
Earlier, the book was first launched in New Delhi on 17th of July at India International Centre seminar hall.
"Gowhar Geelani's book is a must read not only for the native Kashmiris, but more so for the non Kashmiris to understand the Kashmir story," said Hameeda Nayeem.
Prof Siddiq Wahid said that such narratives are important and Gowhar has succeeded in telling the Kashmir story with all its complexities.
The book is the valley's new -age writing, which traces in lucid language, the region's tortured history, the many facets of Kashmiri nationalism and the betryals.
The author has woven together people's narratives from ground zero to give us the real picture in all it's starkness, minus journalistic dressing.Examining the complex geopolitical situation, geostrategic interests and the bitter history of India-Pakistan relations, this book discusses Kashmir's new vocabulary, its multiple forms of resistance, and tries to explain the restive region's new age of rebellion against the establishment in the post-Burhan Wani setup.
The book has also received international acknowledgement from some of the renowned authors.
"In this powerful book, Gowhar Geelani recounts how Kashmiris are reclaiming their own narrative, which has for so long been told mainly by outsiders. Geelani’s book is itself a landmark in that process. Here is one of the most articulate and well informed of Kashmiris giving voice to how Kashmiris feel, and what it’s like to live in a pressure cooker...Geelani details the perils and pressures faced by the news media in Kashmir and looks for chinks of light which might lift the political gloom that has settled on the Valley that he loves. Let’s hope this book is widely read," Andrew Whitehead, former editor, BBC World Service, author and historian wrote in its acknowledgement.
—Christopher Snedden, noted historian and author in his remarks about the book said, "Gowhar Geelani has written a brilliant book. It has three major qualities. First, it is informative, with the author revealing his and other ethnic Kashmiris’ interesting, often distressing, on-the-ground experiences in Kashmir. Second, it is engaging—grippingly so, at times—as Geelani relates in a very readable style significant events endured by Kashmiris in recent times. Third, it is thought-provoking, with this reader now much better informed about Kashmiris’ aspirations, intentions and experiences. This is one of the most informative and stimulating books that I have ever read about Kashmir."
Victoria Schofield, acclaimed author, biographer and historian said, It takes courage to write about Kashmir, especially for a Kashmiri. In Rage and Reason, Gowhar Geelani writes with passion about the past, present and future of his homeland. As a journalist and coming from a generation of Kashmiris who have witnessed ‘the horrors of violence’, he combines his own experiences with those of others as well as citing from the prevailing literature, prose and poetry. ‘Documenting pain can be a challenge,’ he writes. Yet, he has been forthright in undertaking that challenge. For anyone wishing to comprehend the complexities of anger, uncertainty, hope and despair, Geelani’s well-sourced narrative provides an authentic window of understanding."The panel discussion was followed by a Q&A session.