Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 13: Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Sports and Youth Affairs, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, launched ‘Refugee Camp’, a book that has become a rage on social media and become a bestseller on debut.
‘Refugee Camp’ is the most incisive book written on ‘Kashmir’, its history of thousand years, problems and potential solutions and the expected role of youth in it.
“Happy to have launched, ‘Refugee Camp’, a gripping narrative that focuses on the imminent need of youth to be involved in addressing the problem of Kashmir. Revolving around the central character of Abhimanyu, I hope this novel by Ashish Kaul really awakens the Abhimanyu inside all of us”, said Col Rathore in his formal launch message on the twitter.
The Refugee Camp is the story of a boy; Abhimanyu’s transformation into a leader, who led 5000 men, women and children to the greatest suicide mission and a journey back home. It is a riveting story of human spirit and triumph in the face of grave adversities.
Ashish Koul, who spent two years penning the book said, “Refugee Camp was born out of a six year- old girl’s question to me that Kashmir is so beautiful, why can’t we live there?’ I did not have answer then, my book Refugee Camp is my answer to every child of India”. Yes, we can and we will one day go back and live in the land that belongs to every Kashmiri, he added.
The book has a hair-raising account of those 48 hours that changed the face of humanity and the worst atrocities like mob lynching were committed on ethnic minorities. In a way, the book captures authentic historical and geopolitical narrative of over a thousand years that eventually culminated in the events in 1988 and 89.
“What makes this book different from others is that it charts a way that how people can come together and rise and against terror,” claims Ashish Kaul, the writer of this book. He further believes that no Government or armed forces can ever resolve the Kashmir issue. It is ultimately the people of Kashmir who have to choose between peace and Terror.