Book on “Gujjars Bakkarwals of J&K: In the shadows of conflict” released
Jammu, November 23, (Scoop News)- A new book on the Gujjar and Bakkarwal tribes was released today at the Amar Singh Club, Jammu. The book, released by Prof R.D. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Jammu University, Lt General K.H. Singh, GOC 16 Corps and Mr K. Rajendra, Director General Police, J&K, lays emphasis on the struggle of the community during militancy.
The book entitled “Gujjars and Bakkarwals of Jammu and Kashmir- In the Shadows of Conflict” is an effort to narrate the trials and tribulations of Gujjars and Bakkarwals during the period of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite facing many challenges to their livelihood, this group has emerged as a courageous and resilient force.
Speaking at the function, Prof R.D Sharma, complimented both the authors for writing the book on an important theme, as conflict is often overlooked when talking about these tribes. He added that the book is an impressive venture as it is difficult to conduct research based on primary sources, essentially interviews and interactions. He also commented that the University of Jammu, which is opening up Gojri Research Centre in its Poonch campus, would now have a rich reference due to this book.
Lt General K.H.Singh, in his address said that the army has been interacting with these tribes for long time but there is need to understand more about them. He added that this book can be very insightful for those wishing to understand the tribes better including the army and can even help the security forces in dealing with these communities better.
While speaking to the audience, K. Rajendra said that his experience in the state with members of these tribes has shown him their reliability and stated that they have contributed greatly in countering militancy in the region. The chief guests congratulated both the authors on their effort.
The event also included a detailed review of the book by Mr Mahesh Kaul, a well know journalist and columnist. He explained how the Gujjars and Bakkarwals form an integral part of the state and have a key role to play in the national security debate. He also cited that this is the first attempt at highlighting the impact of militancy on their lives.
Another prominent Gujjar activist Dr Javaid Rahi,chief editor,Gojri, J&K Cultural Academy, shared his views on the strength of the community and appealed to the audience and chief guests to ensure they are rightly acknowledged for their efforts during insurgency.
The two authors of the book, Dr Kavita Suri, Associate Professor, Department of Lifelong Learning, Jammu University and Ms Deepshikha Hooda, an alumni of Asian College of Journalism and Cardiff University, also spoke about their experiences while working on this book. The authors also acknowledged the contribution of Mr S.N. Acharya, photo officer, Ministry of Defence, for providing a great collection of photographs for the book.
The publisher of the book, Sanjay Arya, of Shubhi publications, New Delhi, was present at the release and expressed great interest in publishing more works on Jammu and Kashmir.
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