Kashmir As I See It: From Within and Afar

by Ashok Dhar

  1. ISBN: 978-93-5333-458-1
  2. Pages: 248 pages
  3. Date: 5 May 2019

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Stories of the trauma and betrayal faced by Kashmiris have been told, the events retraced and
analysis offered. And yet, one of the most long-standing disputes in India’s post-Independence
history remains unsettled. If it were up to Lal Ded, a Sufi poet, she would offer the most difficult
solution so far—to look within. Kashmir As I See It, a personal journey interspersed with geopolitical analysis, is not only about the state but also about the voice that yearns to be home again.

Ashok Dhar slowly and carefully uncovers multiple layers of the conflict to show that apart from
being a territorial dispute, it is also about historicity, morality and leadership—aspects that have
been neglected so far. He holds that looking merely at the legality of the state’s accession is like
looking at an iceberg; peace will not come if we have not examined what Kashmiriyat is. This
rigorously researched and passionately honest account shows us a way to look for solutions that are not merely reflective but practical, using tools extracted from management studies such as game theory. A radical approach that throws open a new window of inquiry to resolve an age-old issue!

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Ashok Dhar, born and brought up in Kashmir, has over thirty-five years of experience in the
Energy sector. He is a member of Energy Institute (London), a Visiting Distinguished Fellow at
Observer Research Foundation and the founding director of its Kolkata chapter. He has also worked in top leadership roles in three Fortune 500 companies in India and abroad. Dhar is currently Principal Consultant and Director, Akarosi Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata.