Review of Kashmir is Heaven Enough

[Shuntel Max]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Kashmir is Heaven Enough" by Farhana Qazi.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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“Can we forget that we exist among rebel songs, missing men, and firing in the fields? Is love enough to survive the impurities of conflict?” These are just a few of the questions this book asks and forces you to answer.

Kashmir is Heaven Enough by Farhana Qazi is a collection of poetry regarding the Kashmir region of the Indian subcontinent. A region that has been embroiled in conflict for decades, Kashmir nonetheless retains beauty and character. Qazi does an excellent job of conveying the strength that lies in Kashmir’s trauma.

The poetry is beautiful, melodic, and heartbreakingly sincere. Qazi humanises the people and the land of Kashmir, pulling away the veil of war to reveal the sweetness of the community within. Amidst the loudness of soldiers and gunfire, torrential rainstorms, and grieved wails is the quiet of love, mothers holding their children, and locals guiding foreigners and welcoming them to the beauty of Kashmir. But there is also the quiet of death. In my opinion, Qazi strikes the perfect balance between not glamourising the conditions of the Kashmiri people and not dehumanising them. They are human beings, not casualties. When Qazi writes, I hear the voices she’s describing—the grieving mothers, the heartbroken lovers, the young and the old crying out for freedom. The grief is tangible. I also feel the unconquerable hope that threads through the valley. I see clearly the beauty of kingfisher birds and a valley covered in lilies and tulips. Can you imagine it? Can you imagine love stories unfolding and happy children playing at the same time as grieving mothers, boys forced into war, and soldiers overrunning villages?

Kashmir is Heaven Enough makes you feel things. I loved the use of repetition to add extra meaning, like the author’s use of the phrase “Kashmir is”. Kashmir is a million different things, and its people are a million more. As Qazi writes, “The youth will not give up until they fall.” The poems touch on different aspects of life in Kashmir. The poem “Alternate Names for Missing Boys” really hit me, as it showed the demonisation of young children who want to fight for their home back but are generalised and labelled lunatics and terrorists.

This book gets a 5 out of 5 from me. I would recommend it to anyone. I disliked nothing about the book.

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Kashmir is Heaven Enough
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