Yearning for a peaceful Kashmir

Roxy Arora's debut novel "Jihad in My Saffron Garden" published by Prabhat Prakashan was launched by film director and producer Anurag Kashyap at Oxford Book Store, Connaught Place in the national Capitol recently.

According to the author, the journey of putting down her feelings into words started off in the year 2015. The communal riots and clashes of Jammu and Kashmir compelled her to write about it. She has closely observed the miserable life of people who suffer as a result of these communal clashes. 

"I know what it is to be persecuted; I know what it is to leave everything behind and to start again. I have witnessed these in Kuwait and England." She said. When asked why she has chosen Jammu and Kashmir as the setting, she replied, "Every summer holiday, as a kid I used to visit Kashmir. I was spellbound by the beauty of that place. So when I thought of writing, I could not think of writing about a place other than Kashmir."

She also explained the reason behind keeping the word "Saffron" in the book's title, "When I decided to write about Kashmir, I wanted to break away from the quintessential image of the land, which is always about the Dal Lake and houseboats. But I think there is actually nothing more beautiful than those saffron gardens, especially when the flowers are in full bloom. I've always been an admirer of natural beauty so I wanted the flowers to be with me."

Dr Roxy Arora denied calling it an autobiographical novel. According to her it is a pure work of fiction. When she started writing, she thought it would be a romantic thriller, because of her love for spies' novel and Robert Ludlum. She also wanted to portray the problem in Jammu and Kashmir in a more serious way. She wanted to express the patriotism in each and every armed force member  who is serving the state, so she has added a  thriller element to it without making it too political. She has dedicated the book to the Indian Armed Forces.

Dr Arora appeals for global peace, religious tolerance and mutual trust through this novel. She has also raised a question for all to ponder upon – "Can't we have a Kashmir like before?" The lead characters of her story Roshina Kapoor and Aafaq Qazmi give priority to love and humanity before any social element in spite of their religious differences. Dr Roxy Arora in her novel has given a message that no religion preaches violence and that it is high time for people to join hands and appeal for global peace, unity and integrity.

During the book launch Anurag Kashyap praised the author for stepping out of her comfort zone as she is a doctor by her profession and doing something different. He found it very inspirational. "Somewhere it gives hope and it gives passion to everyone, kudos to that," he said.