“Presumably, the mothers were begging the soldiers to release their sons, touching their faces and shoes and crying their hearts out to have mercy on them.”

Nayeema Mahjoor’s Lost in Terror is an insightful story of countless daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers whose lives were and are being touched in different ways due to the ongoing liberation movement in [India-held] Kashmir.

The region has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. This picturesque valley, which has since been under the domain of India, has seen many uprisings. The movement for freedom, or azadi, has left a deep imprint upon the minds of the inhabitants, but mostly it is the women of Kashmir who have been mourning the deaths and disappearances of their menfolk.

Nayeema Mahjoor writes about the hardships faced by women in the disputed territory of Kashmir

Lost in Terror elucidates the bravery and valour of Kashmiri women, “who lost everything from their dignity to their relations,” but hold strongly to the ray of hope that tomorrow will be better than today. Mahjoor very successfully weaves the thread of untold stories, and lets the reader feel the pain and agony being borne by the people of Kashmir. Caught in the web of politics, these people seem to be fighting against odds that take a heavy toll and affect their lives adversely. The book is not merely a tale of one woman or a family; it encircles the lives of all those who are caught in this crossfire. The brutality of the soldiers, the nexus between the local population and the fighters, and the connivance of certain sections of the population has been dealt with admirably. But most of all Mahjoor has been successful in enunciating the plight of the womenfolk, be it Sadia whose son went missing and was later found to have joined the fighters; Shaista who lost her honour and life due to her refusal to facilitate the fighters; Auntiji who saw the marks of torture on her young son’s dead body; or Fareeda who lost her husband very shortly after marriage. The stories of all these women, along with the story of the protagonist who is a journalist by profession, give a clear message. They tell the readers that it is the womenfolk who have to bear the brunt of any movement or war, and it is the same women who carry the candle of hope. They fight against the odds and yet strive to remain calm, giving strength to those whose lives are entwined with theirs.

Mahjoor also throws light on the patriarchal society prevalent in the valley and its norms. With great sarcasm she notes that society has a strange belief about daughters-in-law: women are expected to change from naïve and timid girls to strong women as soon as they get married. Women are normally expected to endure more than men, but “daughters-in-law [are] expected to maintain calm and act unruffled”. Moreover, the desire to have a male heir — women are scorned if they fail to give birth to a son — has been highlighted. Mahjoor illustrates this by devoting one full chapter, ‘Society’ to the issue. The dilemma of a mother who has given birth to many daughters and is expecting another child is underlined in the following words: “Aunty Boba came out of the room, overwhelmed and excited. ‘Congratulations, brother, you have at last become the father of a son! Oh brother, you have made us all proud!’” The message is delivered: a female is not respected until she begets a male child.

The lucidity of language and the veracity of expression make Lost in Terror an interesting read. One can glimpse the volatile situation gripping the valley, and its impact on the lives of the inhabitants. It also shows the heightened sufferings of innumerable men and women who cannot tend to their work or look after their families, who must live life without any privacy, and are threatened by the presence of fighters alongside the overt existence of the soldiers. These unknown faces visit the house of the protagonist and she is ordered by her husband to cook for them without turning on the light. This precaution is taken so that other members of the family do not know about the presence of these men. The number of visitors keeps increasing; some of them are relatives from the village while others just drop in for food and rest and then disappear. Her privacy is continuously violated until a day comes when her husband asks her to vacate her own room to accommodate others.

Life has turned into a nightmare. The valley that was once famous for its beauty has grown bleak. Where life thrived, death stalks with sombre feet. Kashmir wears the look of a widow bereft of all beauty and adornment. It is indeed sad to realise that this conflict has already taken innumerable of lives, and is ready to take more.

Mahjoor has discussed her career as a journalist in Lost in Terror, recording the difficulty of being a Muslim woman working in a field dominated by men. She also writes about joining a media organisation in the United Kingdom as a producer. Her strength of character and tenacity enables her to use her voice as a mouthpiece for the people of Kashmir, especially the womenfolk. She ends her novel with these touching words: “If I had been able to do nothing to ease the pain of my motherland, would I at least be able to show it to the world through my eyes.”

The reviewer teaches English Literature.

Lost in Terror
(NOVEL)
By Nayeema Mahjoor
Penguin, India
ISBN: 978-0143416531
288pp.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, January 15th, 2017