Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir

Books

A beautifully drawn graphic novel that illuminates the conflicted land of Kashmir, through a young boy s childhood. Seven-year-old Munnu is growing up in Indian-administered Kashmir. Life revolves around his family: Mama, Papa, sister Shahnaz, brothers Adil and Akhtar and, his favourite, older brother Bilal. It also revolves around Munnu s two favourite things sugar and drawing. But Munnu s is a childhood experienced against the backdrop of conflict. Bilal s classmates are crossing over into the Pakistan-administered portion of Kashmir to be trained to resist the occupation; Papa and Bilal are regularly taken by the military to identification parades where informers will point out terrorists; Munnu s school is closed; close neighbours are killed and the homes of Kashmiri Hindu families lie abandoned, as once close, mixed communities have ruptured under the pressure of Kashmir s divisions. Munnu is an amazingly personal insight into everyday life in Kashmir. Closely based on Malik Sajad s own childhood and ...