Srinagar
The maiden novel ‘I am the Caravan of Time’ by Umar Dewani – a journalist and budding writer was released on Monday at the Academy of Art and Culture, Lal Mandi, Srinagar.
The novel has been published by FreshCode Books – the leading self-publishing press of the valley and the cover features artwork by the renowned artist Masood Hussain.
Set in various places including Kashmir, the novel traces the dark side of human nature and records the tumult of human anguish. The book was released by noted academic Professor Siddiq Wahid – former Vice-Chancellor, IUST in presence of Professor Fouzia Qadri – Head Department of Mathematics, IUST, Masood Hussain, Hilal Ahmed Mir and Wajahat Qazi – senior journalists of the valley. Other members of the press and civil society were also present on the occasion. The event was moderated by Sparks Creativity Club headed by Suhail Gul.
Speaking on the occasion Professor Wahid lauded the endeavour and said; “I am glad that fiction is coming out of the valley as it will serve as a testimony of the past seventy years of uncertainty and turmoil. I congratulate the author and the publisher for having the courage to present the story before the world.” The book was reviewed briefly by Wajahat Qazi and Huzaifa Pandit – Research Scholar at the University of Kashmir.
The author, Umar Dewani read from his novel, and also spoke about the journey of the book. “I wrote the book in a frenzy spell on a typewriter from morning to night. But I was anguished by the response of publishers who never responded to my queries. I had abandoned the project until I recently came across FreshCode Books who helped me translate my dream into reality,” the spokesman quoted the author as saying.
Acknowledging him, Ehsan Quddusi – founder FreshCode Books said; “Our aim is to bypass the hierarchies of traditional publishing, and help authors like Umer reach the audience without any hurdles. Unlike other presses, our services are not on paper alone. We actually offer authors a complete bouquet of services ranging from editing to cover design under a single roof.”
