“Kashmir: A Quarantine State” – Book by Khushboo Abrol (Sheen)

Paper on the book by King C. Bharati

It is with immense pride and profound intellectual engagement that I stand before you today, on this momentous occasion of the book release for “Kashmir: A Quarantine State,” a truly path-breaking work by the exceptionally talented young author, Khushboo Abrol (Sheen). This is not merely a book; it is a meticulously researched manifesto, a courageous challenge to decades of historical revisionism, and a clarion call for truth that reverberates with urgency in our contemporary discourse.

Having been privileged to witness Khushboo’s journey from the nascent idea of exploring Kashmir’s intricate history to the culmination of this seminal work, my association with “Kashmir: A Quarantine State” predates even its physical manifestation. I recall with clarity the initial sparks of curiosity ignited within her, a young mind grappling with the conflicting narratives prevalent in academic and social spheres. It was a nascent desire to understand, to question, and ultimately, to unravel the intricate tapestry of Kashmir’s past, untainted by the often-slanderous brushes of pseudo-secular, leftist-liberal, and pro-Muslim propaganda that has unfortunately characterized much of the historical discourse.

Khushboo’s intellectual odyssey began, as she candidly recounts, amidst the pervasive anti-India propagators in her college days. However, rather than succumbing to these false logics, her innate intellectual honesty propelled her towards deeper inquiry. It was, significantly, her maternal grandfather, the late Shri Bansi Lal Koul (Ganjoo), an esteemed educationist, who became her guiding star. His wisdom and steadfast commitment to truth provided her with the crucial intellectual anchor and the impetus to delve into genuine history, thereby becoming her profound inspiration. She meticulously researched, read countless volumes, and critically engaged with sources, ultimately choosing to quote even those historians frequently invoked by the liberal brigade, but to deploy their very words against their disingenuous narratives, exposing the massacres, conversions, and political machinations aimed at transforming Kashmir into an exclusively Islamic state.
Her research unveiled a stark and disturbing reality: the systematic negation and burial of authentic history in favour of a narrative designed to serve anti-India, anti-Kashmiri Pandit, and anti-Hindu agendas. This extends beyond the post-1947 era, reaching back to Macaulay’s insidious designs to erode India’s rich, science-based cultural and educational heritage, replacing it with an English-centric worldview that fostered self-hate. Khushboo, an embodiment of two rich cultures—her mother a Kashmiri Pandit, her father a Dogra—carries both with pride, striving for a future built on truth rather than forgotten roots. She stands as a testament that intellectual fortitude and academic rigor are not the sole domain of one gender, but that daughters, too, can bring immense fame and honor through their contributions to scholarship, offering a refreshing counter-narrative to the fleeting allure of an Instagram and WhatsApp culture. Indeed, she represents that rare and invaluable segment of our Gen-Z, actively reclaiming our cultural roots from the grip of pro-liberal propaganda that seeks to sever them from our scientific Sanatan Dharma, education, and history.
The very title, “Kashmir: A Quarantine State,” might, to an unsuspecting eye, suggest alignment with a particular ideology, perhaps even a “brainwashed pseudo-secular” perspective. Yet, as the adage wisely cautions, one must not judge a book by its cover. The contents within are startling in their authenticity and depth of research, positioning this work as an indispensable resource for future generations. The book’s undeniable academic merit is further underscored by the remarkable fact that, even before its first edition’s formal release, it has been embraced by Garud Publications for its second edition. This speaks volumes, placing Khushboo Abrol in the esteemed company of celebrated authors like Gen. G.D. Bakshi and Vivek Agnihotri, whose works have resonated deeply within the public consciousness.
Spanning 222 pages across 14 compelling chapters, and modestly priced, the book opens with a four-page Preface, where Khushboo articulates the genesis and purpose of her endeavour. She then gently leads us into a nostalgic ‘Grih Pravesh’ in Chapter 1, painting a poignant picture of her mother’s childhood joys amidst Kashmir’s tranquil beauty, subtly setting the tone for the profound loss that followed. This idyllic scene swiftly transitions in Chapter 2, “Kashmir Under Snow Storm,” to a harrowing exposition of Kashmir’s shadowed past, marked by the brutal intrusions of invaders. Here, she masterfully recounts the blizzard of the 14th century and Zulchu’s (Dalucha’s) devastating invasions, which on his return decimated over 70,000 Kashmiri Pandits including his own large army.
Her meticulous research unearths chilling facts, such as the sinister plan, “Kill One Frighten One Thousand,” a testament to her extensive and authentic sourcing. In the chapter titled “Erasing Hindu Roots,” Khushboo, through verifiable accounts, illuminates the systemic conversions executed through coercion, the deliberate distortion of history, and the tragic irony of many converts attempting to cling to their ancestral names, unaware that their progeny would become instruments in the persecution of their own lineage. The strategic renaming of places, a ploy to obliterate Kashmir’s Hindu heritage, is robustly evidenced through recorded and unimpeachable sources.
Confronting propagandists head-on, in “Tracking Kashmirian Etymology,” she observes that linguistic alteration has been a favored tool of invaders, yet today, it serves as crucial historical evidence of conquest’s linguistic impact. Exposing the pseudo-secularists, Khushboo extensively cites venerable historians such as Tyndale Biscoe, M. Aurel Stein, Cunningham, Sir Alexander, Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, John Siudmak, Vincent A. Smith, and most crucially, Pandit Prem Nath Bhat, whose work, she acknowledges, fundamentally reshaped her understanding of Kashmir.
In “Exposing the veiled Threat,” the author incisively concludes that Kashmiri Muslims have deftly leveraged international platforms to garner sympathy, skillfully cloaking the grim realities of terrorism behind a fabricated ‘freedom fighter’ narrative. Her concluding chapter, aptly titled “Wuch Batta Makan,” a poignant account of her journey to Kashmir with her parents and grandmother, powerfully asserts: “even though their fallaciously composed textbooks may endeavour to craft a sorrowful narrative to elicit global empathy for them, the charred remnants of Pandit homes stand as an incontrovertible testament, enough to broadcast their plight to the world.” The book culminates with her own heartfelt poem, “‘Restore my heart’s desire, bring back my home, sweet home’” expressing a cherished dream to walk the streets of Kashmir as her mother once did, echoing her grandfather’s enduring hope: “Panun Ghar Hyema Wapas Zaroor” (We will definitely get our home back).
“Kashmir: A Quarantine State” is a monumental achievement, not least because it fearlessly quotes even Mughal historians and chroniclers of invaders who meticulously documented their own acts of plunder and conversion, thereby disarming the false narratives propagated by contemporary anti-India and anti-Hindu forces.
I am profoundly hopeful that this book will inspire many more such young authors, journalists, bureaucrats, and administrators to emerge—individuals who possess the courage to pick a side, to shun the false neutrality often demanded by the so-called secular brigade. Khushboo Abrol repeatedly emphasizes that she refuses to sit on the fence, and in this, she sets an exemplary standard for Gen-Z and the forthcoming Gen-Alpha: to rigorously pursue truth, to bring forth factual history, and to lead Kashmir and India back to their rightful glory.

Venue: Writers Club, Abhinav Theatre, JammuTime: 4:00 PM

(King C Bharati is a senior journalist, Playwright, Social Activist and a Naturopath)
Can be reached on 9419130279 or kingcbharati@gmail.com; www.thegypsy.in