Firdous Qadri
Srinagar, Jan 31: Inspired by what she says an ‘oldest’ Kashmiri folktale, a Srinagar girl has published her maiden fiction titled ‘Two And A Half’ in her bid to make us relive those good olden days when we would go on listening those fairy and spooky tales from our grandparents, only to find oneself asleep with everything still and calm.
Nida Noor, 24 a Mechanical Engineering Graduate from a Srinagar locality talking to GNS maintains that the inspiration for the title ‘Two And A Half – The Knock of Chillai Kalan’, comes from an oldest folktale of our land which we often get to hear from our parents and grandparents.
The story, as per the young author, unfolds on the fateful night of December 21, when the protagonist, Rehmat loses her beloved uncle to a massive fire killing him on the spot. ‘Devastated by the loss it becomes hard for Rehmat to come in terms with the uncle’s untimely demise. It is when one day she discovers the web of lies engulfing the death of her uncle Saleem. Thus begins her search to seek the truth which will open the chambers of past about which nobody talks.’
In the deserted magical land of Kashmir called Wanhaar, the author says, begins the countdown. ‘The deeds are to be balanced and this time nobody can stop the woman with a dead soul and throbbing heart.’
This is a story where the (d)evil will speak for itself, the author leaving a hint to go for the gripping tale.
Nida says that she has remained an avid reader for years now and believes that books have much power to influence ones’ mind.
Nida remarks that “We get to hear stories of demons and fairies from the land we didn’t belong to and read about magic and dream about those princesses and fairies, which we never saw. The children are told of ugly doings of Lady Tremaine, Mother Gothel which somehow end with morals on victory of good over bad or to put it Virtues over Vices.”
However what the author feels is that amid all this we forget to tell stories of our own, and it where she has felt urge to pick up the pen and tell the story of our own.
“My book is firstly a tribute to our heritage and rich culture and is for the older folks of my land, who always found a great meaning in the fictional tales to shape the young minds”, Nida says.
Nonetheless the book is evenly an asset for the young generation, for what Nida feels, have spent most of their lives behind virtual screens, oblivious of their future.
“As a reader and more about being myself a Kashmiri, it is my duty to share the stories which will anytime make my denizens proud about this land and its people” she says.
“The story of my book revolves around a fantasy fiction and falls in the genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real world myth and folklore” Nida says.
The maiden publication of the young author hss been printed by ‘Lieper Publication’ under ISBN 9788193867877. (GNS)
