Overview

In this haunting, probing book, an award-winning journalist interviews ordinary Kashmiris about the tales of war told in their homes and shaping their communities. In Kashmir, folktales often begin with the word dapaan 'it is said'. So too do local narratives told and retold about the past, among people who have lived through nearly eight decades of a bitter contest between India and Pakistan. This is a story about stories. In the hyper-nationalist din over a territorial dispute, Kashmiri voices are often drowned out. Yet the region is home to long habits of storytelling, its communities intensely engaged with history-keeping. For centuries, folk traditions of theatre, song and fable have flowed into a reservoir of common talk. Mythology, hearsay and historical memory coexist here without any apparent hierarchies. By the time armed rebellion spread through Kashmir in 1989, many of these traditions had died out, or been forced underground. But they have left traces in the way ordinary people speak about the conflict in their songs of loss, and jokes about dark times; in fantastical geographies, and rumours turning the Valley's militarisation into a ghostly haunting. From Partition to the 2019 Indian crackdown, Ipsita Chakravarty discovers a vivid, distinctly Kashmiri vision of events that have often been narrated from the top-down. Her interviewees conjure a kaleidoscope of towns and villages shaping their own memories.

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9781805262916

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Reviews

‘A triumph. Chakravarty’s “river of stories” presents a prosaic and haunting history of the tragedy that is Kashmir.’ -- <b>John Zubrzycki, author of <i>Dethroned: The Downfall of India’s Princely States</i> and <i>The Shortest History of India</i> 'A beautifully written elegy to Kashmir, capturing the pain of its recent decades of conflict and older history of oppression. Chakravarty brings to life the voices of ordinary Kashmiris with their rich mix of humour, inventiveness, superstition, melancholy and hurt.' -- <b>Myra MacDonald, journalist and author of <i>White as the Shroud: India, Pakistan and War on the Frontiers of Kashmir</i></b> 'What is it like to live in a battleground? To be part of a conflict that has dragged on for two generations? Amid informers and insurgents, protests and crackdowns? Ipsita Chakravarty—a brilliant observer and magical writer—records the stories, and forms of story, by which Kashmiris keep a reckoning. A wonderful, compassionate yet deeply tragic book.' -- <b>Andrew Whitehead, former BBC India Correspondent, and author of <i>A Mission in Kashmir</i></b>

'Immersive ... the book builds on conversations with people living across the length and breadth of the Valley, ferreting out stories that both haunt and fascinate you.' * <b><I>Frontline Magazine</I></b> * ‘A triumph. Chakravarty’s “river of stories” presents a prosaic and haunting history of the tragedy that is Kashmir.’ -- <b>John Zubrzycki, author of <i>Dethroned: The Downfall of India’s Princely States</i> and <i>The Shortest History of India</i> 'A beautifully written elegy to Kashmir, capturing the pain of its recent decades of conflict and older history of oppression. Chakravarty brings to life the voices of ordinary Kashmiris with their rich mix of humour, inventiveness, superstition, melancholy and hurt.' -- <b>Myra MacDonald, journalist and author of <i>White as the Shroud: India, Pakistan and War on the Frontiers of Kashmir</i></b> 'What is it like to live in a battleground? To be part of a conflict that has dragged on for two generations? Amid informers and insurgents, protests and crackdowns? Ipsita Chakravarty—a brilliant observer and magical writer—records the stories, and forms of story, by which Kashmiris keep a reckoning. A wonderful, compassionate yet deeply tragic book.' -- <b>Andrew Whitehead, former BBC India Correspondent, and author of <i>A Mission in Kashmir</i></b>

'Immersive ... the book builds on conversations with people living across the length and breadth of the Valley, ferreting out stories that both haunt and fascinate you.' * <b><I>Frontline Magazine</I></b> * 'Chakravarty's reportage is meticulous, her prose lyrical and precise... Dapaan is a searing testament to the enduring power of narrative.' * <b><I>Telegraph India</I></b> * 'For many people, the only thing they know about Kashmir is that India and Pakistan dispute it. This book will add depth, texture and great sadness to that knowledge.' * <b><I>Survival</I></b> * ‘A triumph. Chakravarty’s “river of stories” presents a prosaic and haunting history of the tragedy that is Kashmir.’ -- <b>John Zubrzycki, author of <i>Dethroned: The Downfall of India’s Princely States</i> and <i>The Shortest History of India</i> 'A beautifully written elegy to Kashmir, capturing the pain of its recent decades of conflict and older history of oppression. Chakravarty brings to life the voices of ordinary Kashmiris with their rich mix of humour, inventiveness, superstition, melancholy and hurt.' -- <b>Myra MacDonald, journalist and author of <i>White as the Shroud: India, Pakistan and War on the Frontiers of Kashmir</i></b> 'What is it like to live in a battleground? To be part of a conflict that has dragged on for two generations? Amid informers and insurgents, protests and crackdowns? Ipsita Chakravarty—a brilliant observer and magical writer—records the stories, and forms of story, by which Kashmiris keep a reckoning. A wonderful, compassionate yet deeply tragic book.' -- <b>Andrew Whitehead, former BBC India Correspondent, and author of <i>A Mission in Kashmir</i></b>

Author Information

Ipsita Chakravarty is an award-winning journalist who has reported on politics and armed conflict in Kashmir and North-East India for a decade. She has worked as a reporter, editor and opinion writer for national dailies including The Times of India, The Telegraph, The Indian Express and Scroll.

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