MUMBAI: Iconic santoor player and Padma Shri awardee Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma launched the book Sach Toh Yahi Hai in the presence of eminent personalities belonging to the field of art.

Author and academic Dr Asha Naithani Dayama has written the book. It is based on the lives of residents of Jammu & Kashmir before the removal of Article 370. It is a collection of eight short stories in Hindi.

The book launch event took place at Sardar Patel Institute of Technology, Mumbai on Wednesday. Choreographer Puneet J. Pathak, music composer Ustad Taufiq Qureshi and Dr Dayama’s daughter, actor Yashaswini graced the occasion.

Speaking about the book, Asha Naithani Dayama said, “What I have written is not history, but talks about the aspect of Jammu & Kashmir which have not been spoken about in the world of literature. I have visited and lived with these people and from my personal experiences, I feel relieved that India got rid of an archaic law which was supposed to be temporary in the first place.”

Pandit Shiv Kumar, who hails from Jammu, said he could relate to the stories as described in the book. “The book is very reflective of what I have seen people go through before I left Jammu in the 1960’s,” he said.

Credit: The Hindu