The Divine And The Destiny
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BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS
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 The Divine And The Destiny Meenakshi Raina |
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 Author: Meenakshi RainaPublisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd; First edition Number of Pages: 207 ISBN-10: 9382473351 ISBN-13: 978-9382473350 Binding: Paperback Language: English |
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| About the Book |
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Kashmir, God s own land on earth, is the motherland of the Kashmiri Pandits. The year 1990 saw a mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their own soil due to threat to life and mass killings by the Separatists. The Divine And the Destiny is the story of Shereen, a young Kashmiri Pandit girl, and her family. Like the other Kashmiri Pandit families, they were forced to leave their home without warning one night. The threat was unavoidable. Where would the go? What would they do? In a blink of an eye, they were made homeless. Would Shereen and her family be able to go back to their beautiful homeland? Would they be able to live in their own home again? Besides, Shereen and her sister were growing up and ready to find their life partners and settle down in marriage. How would it happen considering the circumstances?
Would Shereen be lucky enough to find her love? Read The Divine And The Destiny to find out...
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| Author's Note |
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The valley of Kashmir, surrounded by the vast Himalayas has been a place of saints, sages and scholars. Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) - the Hindus of Kashmir are the original natives of the valley. I always thought that Kashmiri Pandits were fortunate to belong to a place where God created beauty to perfection, a place that is no less than heaven on Earth. Since many centuries Kashmiri Pandits have been subject to persecution and the year 1989 saw the extreme of it with growing number of brutal and barbaric killings of innocent Kashmiri Pandits. Their bodies bore the marks of torture, burn injuries, and many were mutilated. There was a rise in kidnappings and merciless killings. The women were stripped and molested. Many bodies were found with the eyes gouged out, fingers broken and even signs of being hanged. Apart from the militants, many of these killings were carried out by people known to the victim and his family members. Threatening letters asking KPs to leave Kashmir were pasted at their doors. Full page advertisements were published in the local newspapers which asked KPs to leave Kashmir. All these killings created fear within the Kashmiri Pandit community and gradually most of them left their land of ancestors and took refuge in Jammu and other parts of India.
 Since 1990, the Kashmiri Pandit community has been living in exile on being uprooted from their homeland. More than 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits who left the valley at gun point have been scattered all over India and most of them are still living in Jammu. They are the citizens of India, but the irony is that they were forced to leave their homeland and live in exile in their own countryI have been a witness to this historical tragedy of mass exodus. After the turmoil in the valley, I completed my graduation from camp college Jammu in a very tough phase and later did my post-graduation in Management Studies from University of Mumbai in 1997. I saw the struggle of my parents after they were forced to leave their home in Kashmir. The emotional and psychological impact of exodus on them was irreversible. After my marriage, I migrated to Canada in the year 2001 and over the last twenty three years, I never went back to my homeland – Kashmir. The past is buried somewhere in my heart yet it is unforgettable. Everyone completes the journey of life in a different way; for some, there is nothing to worry about and for others, there are no words to describe their worries. The Divine And The Destiny - is my debut novel. Twenty-three years back the seeds of this story were laid in my mind by my grandmother. I still can’t forget the fear that I saw on her face when she arrived at Jammu on January 20, 1990 and I was in Jammu at that time. She, along with other family members was forced to abandon her house and had to escape from the valley in order to save her life. My grandmother narrated me what had happened on the night of January 19, 1990 which I have portrayed in the first chapter -The Night. I would compare my journey as an author to a deep meditation where I had to be one with the cause. While writing my book, I have re-lived the tragedy of exodus, which is full of noxious memories, terror and trauma. My personal experiences, combined with my imagination have created this touching story of upheaval. The Divine And The Destiny - reflects the pain of separation from the homeland, a human struggle for existence and survival, and a courageous journey against all odds. It is the story of Shereen, a young Kashmiri Pandit girl, and her family. Like the other Kashmiri Pandit families, they were forced to leave their home without warning one night. The threat was unavoidable. Where would they go? What would they do? In a blink of an eye, they were made homeless. The novel confronts us with the terrifying decisions we are forced to make when ordinary life changes overnight. When faced with unavoidable threats, one needs to make tough choices to protect oneself and the loved ones. It is an emotionally riveting story of one family that encountered unimaginable threats that changed their lives - forever. This book will stir your minds, touch your soul and connect you to human sufferings. I am thankful to God, that he gave me a great opportunity to be an instrument in bringing this story of exile known to the world. The Divine And The Destiny - is an attempt to go beyond what has been documented in the books of History. Excerpt from the book: |
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| About the Author |
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Meenakshi Raina was born in Jammu but lived her childhood years in Kashmir Valley. She did her schooling from Kashmir and migrated to Jammu after the turmoil in the valley in the year 1990. She did her graduation in science from Camp College, Jammu and her post-graduation, Master of Management Studies (M.M.S) from University of Mumbai in the year 1997. She qualified the UGC, NET (National Educational Test) for Lectureship in the year 2000 and also worked as a lecturer at Govt. S.P.M.R College of Commerce, Jammu. After her marriage, she moved to Delhi and worked as a lecturer in a management institute. She migrated to Canada in the year 2001, and lives with her husband in Toronto, Canada. She belongs to an educated Kashmiri Pandit family; her father Shri. Janki Nath Bhat is a retired engineer and her mother Smt. Usha Kashkari, a retired professor. Since her childhood, writing poems has been her passion both in Hindi and English languages.
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