Book Review
Snakes in the Meadows by Ayaz Kohli
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| Snakes in the Meadows by Ayaz Kohli |
Author: Ayaz Kohli
ISBN: 978-9353333607
Genre: Fiction
Length: 278 Pages
Publisher: Rupa Publications India (20
May 2019)
My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/33ettfr
About the author:
Ayaz Kohli is presently serving as Joint Commissioner-GST,
Mumbai. Having seen the rise and repercussions of militancy from very close
quarters, and moved by the plight of the people of the border districts of
Jammu and Kashmir, he has come up with his debut novel, Snakes in the Meadows.
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| Ayaz Kohli |
REVIEW
Narration
Snakes in the Meadows is a saga of the onset of militancy,
the suffering and the resilience of Pir Panjal ─ the ‘and’ of Jammu and Kashmir. The tale is
narrated in third person point of view by the strong, powerful and robust
voice. There are terms related to military, militancy and there are Urdu-Arabic
words also. The structure and the narration of the book is very well-formed for
accumulating all the different stories that revolve around Jammu and Kashmir
and more importantly the lives of the residents of Pir Panjal over the span of
25 years. I don’t know the exact count but there are lots of tales of history
too that author Ayaz Kohli has narrated that portrays the culture and the community
values that of people living or rather surviving in the valley of Kashmir, Pir
Panjal Range.
Location and Setting
Snakes in the Meadows, where the meadows are of the land of
the hilly village of Pathri Aali. We will discuss snakes later in this
review. Pathri Aali, being a village of Kashmir and across the PoK (Azad
Kashmir), it suffers the constant threat of war and worst of terror. They’re
being watched by Army Jawans and a little suspicion can turn into the death of
villagers. As it may seem, making a living in Pathri Aali is difficult for the
families so men migrate to Saudi Arabia for earning bread; leaving behind
their children, wives, mothers and elders. That is why there are more locations
like, Bombay, Saudi Arabia, Srinagar, Jammu and other nearby villages. Now, let
me introduce you to the snakes, who are trying to destroy humanity in the
villages like Pathri Aali. Saghir Khan, a smuggler and double agent happen to
be put in house arrest at Saudi Arabia. In the name of
Islam, they brainwash the youth and prepare them to fight in Jammu and Kashmir
and form groups of militants.
Theme
Snakes in the Meadows is indeed a work of fiction but is
also inspired by real incidents that the author Ayaz Kohli has written with care and
intertwining it with beloved characters. The book follows many characters but
Haji Mir Baksh’s family is one important family in the story which consists of
a brave hero Aslam. Another main character is his love interest Ashwar. But as destiny would have it, they don’t get to choose their lives living in that
land of heaven. I loved the character of Lal Jaan, an old lady who is fierce
and fearless and stands for the villagers. The author also has portrayed negative
characters like Saghir Khan and Major Dharam Pal Singh who are barbaric and
merciless. The book shows the real image behind the curtains of heavenly land. Where
those civilians suffer living the life of subjugation, misery, sorrow, horror,
intimidation, unimaginable humiliation and organized annihilation. While the
army isn’t of any help either because they should not trust anyone. So, they
have to save themselves. The book also states the daily struggles of living in those hilly villages, the culture and how women have to make brave decisions for
their families, for shielding them and for the generations to come.
Plot
The plot is the journey from simple villager’s life to the life
of surviving torments. Life is not guaranteed for those who brave the
situation. The civilians of the Pathri Aali need to stand together and strong.
Militants are cruel as they are senseless, can take one’s life for no reason. Not
every lionhearted have that luck for surviving. The sacrifice of such many lives
makes a path to follow. With the help of such lionhearted leader and support of the army, they embark the mission for the destruction of snakes.
Don’t just live to narrate the stories of your cowardice.
Someone will tell a better story of how you died, rather than you telling your
children how you lived.
My Views
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