Inspired by the insurgency in Kashmir, Sanchit Gupta's debut book is about betrayal, pain and incredible loss but also about unbroken bonds of the soul, says Darielle Britto
The Tree with A Thousand Apples
Sanchit Gupta
Niyogi Books
284 pages
Written with raw emotion and truth, The Tree With A Thousand Apples takes you on a journey to a paradise destroyed by the tribulations that have plagued this earth for centuries.
Inspired by the 1990 insurgency in Kashmir, Sanchit Gupta's debut novel chronicles events till 2013 in the tormented valley. It's a haunting, tale of a once harmonious community, comprising various religions and cultures, that changed overnight by horrific events, forever affecting the place and the people – those who still reside there and those who have fled.
The story follows three children, Safeena Malik, Deewan Bhat and Bilal Ahanagar, whose lives are impacted by the revolt in Srinagar. Gupta tells the story, of what it is like when innocence meets evil, through the children whose futures were filled with all the promise of tomorrow.
As children, they try to make sense of what they witness; as adults, they are caught between two worlds and are bewildered by the blurred lines of right and wrong. Gupta masterfully weaves in the three characters into his narrative – while Deewan is forced to flee the only home he has ever known, and Safeena and Bilal grow up with fear and poverty, their hopes are shattered by harsh realities. You cannot help but feel empathy and compassion for their helplessness and loss. The three friends struggle with their personal turmoil till fate reunites them 20 years later.
The book interprets the powerful impact of circumstances. It's about betrayal, loss and a soulful bond unbroken despite harsh human experiences.
While his novel is based on the ordeal of Kashmiri muslims and pandits, it gives an insight into the lives upturned by war and conflict – the European refugee crisis, the Syrian civil war, the South Sudanese civil war and other ongoing battles that have caused much pain and suffering.
As the story unfolds, it makes you question how we judge people affected by harsh realities and how much of their plight we truly understand.
The first page has the following lines:
'If a criminal was once a saint
And a saint was once a criminal,
Then who is the criminal and who is the saint?'
It is a question that will stay with you long after you finish reading the book.
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