KOCHI: The unprecedented 2014 flood which left thousands of Kashmiris homeless is well documented in Aymanam Raveendran’s latest offering ‘Kashmirile Kumkuma Pularikal’. The book details the havoc caused by the flood, in which more than 200 people died, and the subsequent struggles. His close observations on the life and culture of Kashmiris at a time when militant outfits were growing in power finds a mention in the book.
Raveendran said his visit to Kashmir in 2014 as part of a 24-member team from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, to provide medical relief to flood-affected people in Kashmir helped him work on the book.“The team largely consisted of senior doctors. We had to prepare a report about our activities in Kashmir. But the journey also helped me to observe human aspects other than facts and figures which are mentioned in the book. It a gave me a chance to interact with elders, children and women,” says Raveendran.
The presence of militants in the area added to peoples’ woes. “Most of the schools and colleges were closed down due to the interference of militants,” he says. Similarly, the willingness of the people to follow the policies taken by the government is also stressed in the book. A brief history of Kashmir from the time when it was ruled by kings to the present and how the valley developed over the years is further discussed in the book. Kashmir’s importance in the world market as the producer of finest quality apples, wool, silk, handicrafts and ivory items is narrated by the author.
“Many businesses stopped when militancy started to grow as the common people were unable to procure products,” says Raveendran. Places of historical significance such as the Amarnath temple and Kheer Bhawani temple arealso highlighted in the book.