17-year-old novelist creates history in strife-torn Kashmir

When Class 12 student Rafaat Gilani decided to write a novel, little did he realise that he would be mocked and lampooned by people for trying his hand at the English literature.

Eight months on, the 17-year-old has proved his critics wrong by becoming one of the youngest novelists to have lived his dream in strife-torn Kashmir. Breaking from the traditions of a Kashmir-centric theme, 'The day I died' is set in Japan and revolves around an orphan boy's struggle in pursuit of success.

"I faced a lot of difficulties in the course of writing the book. There were a lot of discouragements. People mocked me for trying to write a novel. Fiction is a big 'no' here. People think autobiographies and biographies are a kind of novel. And if there is a novel, it should be based on Kashmir. I want to try new things and, therefore, I wrote a fiction novel set in Japan," said Rafaat.

Son of a government engineer, Rafaat is a student of Saint Joseph's School in North Kashmir's Baramulla district. An avid gamer, he is a computer geek who has always dreamed of writing a novel with a different theme.

"Now many of my friends do not talk to me. They think that I have become big. One day I got a call from a friend and he was discussing his story. I told him I am also writing a novel and he laughed, saying, "Have you seen you face?" he said

For Rafaat, the journey from student to writer was not a bed of roses, but a road full of bumps. From financial problems to publishing blues, he faced many hurdles before the book could hit stands.

"I am a student and do not have enough financial resources. I contacted many publishing houses but I found the price very high. So a friend who is running a start-up Paper Square, published my book. Still, I had to borrow from my friends. I did not take a penny from my parents," he said.

Interestingly, Rafaat did not tell his parents about the book till it was complete. "I told my parents casually when I started writing. Then all through I told them nothing. Just 10 days before the launch I informed them my book was ready to be unveiled and they were pleasantly surprised," he said.

Elated at the response to his maiden novel, Rafaat is now working on more. "I am fascinated by technology and wanted to take up computer software programming. But writing is my passion and I will continue it, come what may. I am already working on three more novels", he said.