by Sramana Majumdar

There are three reasons I chose to read this book. I read half of thinking fast and slow and found it boring, this book was on my sister's shelf, & I heard a lot about The Kashmiri Files. I always found the field of psychology really interesting and I’m curious to know why humans behave in such a manner. There is a stigma around mental health in India( although the landscape is changing), that it is wrong to speak out when you’re feeling low or depressed. This book deals with social psychology and what clung to me at the very beginning is that as a country, we don’t know much about social psychology and how impactful it can be.

Something that I really enjoyed in the very beginning although a little too academic was the relevant theories for why a conflict would take place and the different schools of conflict that can arise. In this book, the author is looking at how the youth of Kashmir have been affected by government actions, policies, and incidents in the last few decades. Negative actions have created a social identity theory which has led to serious conflict in the Kashmiri Valley. Members felt part of the group as they shared similar experiences and also outcast members who don’t conform to their thoughts, views and actions.

In a larger context, this is taking place in many countries, where the members of political parties present their views that resonate with large sections of society, which indirectly lead to conflict. (Something we came across in the ‘future of capitalism’ as well)

Moving on to part two of the book, the author highlights how exposure to violence( ETV) has had a negative impact on the youth of Kashmir. There are multiple permutations, and combinations applied by the author while she was in Kashmir carrying out the research program. The findings are presented in a simple manner and as it goes deeper, you get better clarity. I’m not a huge fan of statistics, so I wasn’t referring to the numbers as much, but there was a concrete summary at the end of each study. There are multiple takeaways from the book, but the few biggest ones for me are that if ETV happens at a young age and to close members/ family members it has a negative impact in the long run on how we deal with our emotions and how to not suppress them. Another key takeaway was the ability to maintain and build hope and adversity in times of conflict, and a lot of folks do that by having an anchor or faith, and typically folks associated with a religious cause while being optimistic and hopeful.

I enjoyed reading the book and it gave me a unique perspective on how to look at things differently. There’s always something that doesn’t meet the eye and before we judge someone and their story, listen to them, understand them and help them. The field of psychology is growing in India, it’s only a matter of that individuals and the government understand the impact of conflict and the long-term effects on the youth of our country and hopefully solve it.