Col Ajay K Raina
This is an autobiographical account of a reputed scientist who is a Kashmiri Pandit by birth and who was forced to leave his home and hearth and settle in the USA because of reasons beyond his control. That was well before the turbulent times that began in late 1990s. Slowly and over a period of time, his connection with his homeland was severed courtesy of changing security situation in the land of sages and scholars. Despite having a house of his own in what he perceives as a foreign land, he considers himself someone who is homeless. His life experiences, having lived and worked on three continents, are both informative and interesting for the general reader. This work empathises with everyone who becomes homeless irrespective of the reasons for such a development.
Written in free-flowing prose, the book covers the childhood and growing years of the author in Kashmir. The author comes across as an honest, bold person when he shares a few intimate details relating to his birth and family. His rise through his academic years and his acquisition of specialisation make an interesting read. Entomology, as a subject, gets fair treatment in his memoirs.
The reasons that led to him being denied the jobs in J&K throw light on the times when terrorism and separatism were yet to come to the fore. Therefore, to many, such information may be no less than a revelation.
His career progression in foreign lands, despite a fair amount of discrimination, his travels, his family life and his personal struggles have been stitched seamlessly. The pace of the narration is moderate and easy to comprehend. His genuine confessions about his relationship, rather his inability to give time and care to his children, show a great personality trait.
While working in the USA and climbing the ladder of success, the biggest hurdle he faced was an unsubstantiated allegation related to misconduct with a female colleague. The details of that episode clearly vindicate his assessment of discrimination against other races in the USA. The way the case was considered or evaluated by the courts of law also shows a few things that may need a relook at inside the US justice system.
The book then comes to the heartbreaking part wherein the author explains the severance of his connection with the land he was born in. This is when a reader understands why a man with a house of his own in the USA feels and claims to be homeless.
Written in a lucid, simple-to-understand language, this book carries no venom against anyone despite some real unfair treatment meted out to the author from time to time; it simply states the facts about certain developments as they happened. Highly recommended for those who see all the ills in Kashmir only due to armed insurgency or terrorism, this book will help many to look beneath the visible layers.
(The writer of the review is a military historian)
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