Kashmir Valley had a very unique and syncretic culture. Sufi saints were called Rishi or Ryosh eg Nund Rishi or Nuydaryosh in Kashmiri even by the Hindus. Hence in 1947-48 the only haven of peace and quiet amongst all the rioting bloodshed and mayhem was the vale of Kashmir. For 30 years the ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami have methodically worked to destroy this Sufi-syncretic culture. Today the Valley has been turned into one vast ghetto of communal hatred and Jihadism. Kashmiriyat has been killed. Can we revive it? How? That is the central theme of this book. It looks to me an impossible task but hope lies eternal in the human being – and this book is about that seemingly forlorn hope. – Maj Gen (Dr) GD Bakshi Only a seasoned analyst like Dr D Bhalla – with his immense experience in policy formulation in government and administration – could have written this refreshingly insightful book on Kashmir, a subject which requires an impassionate approach. Kashmir is so deeply ensconced in the heart of every Indian who has visited it that it is impossible not to be personal about it, hence, every Kashmir lover wants to see how peace can return to this ‘Heaven on Earth’. Maj Gen Ravi Arora