Everything about ‘A Bit of Everything’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 22

Writing about home in context with the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the troubled 90s in his book ‘A Bit Of Everything’, author Sandeep Raina channelised his own pain of migration and fictional story of a protagonist named Rahul somehow resonates with so many who were forced to leave their homes during the time.

Can still feel migration pangs

Sandeep, in a web session held by the Majha House, said this recently published book is about a Kashmiri Pandit boy, rather an autobiography even though he himself is a Kashmiri Pandit. His book delves into the migration of Kashmiri Pandits in the 90s and mirrors their mentality well. He said he still could feel the pain of migration, due to which this book and its characters are heart-touching. The book came out this year.

In conversation with Bani Gill, Sandeep in a web session held by the Majha House, told that this recently published book is about a Kashmiri Pandit boy, rather an autobiography even though he himself is a Kashmiri Pandit. His book delves into the migration of Kashmiri Pandits in the 90s and mirrors their mentality well. He said that he still can feel the pain of migration, due to which this book and its characters are heart-touching. The book came out this year and its protagonist Rahul goes from Kashmir to Delhi and ultimately to England. “For this reason, the house and its meaning to us are special subjects of the book. As for the title, we all want to get everything in our life whether those things are material or value-based like freedom, ideology and home. But in life, we do not get everything, so we have to live comfortably with small portions of everything,” he said.

The differences between cities are also reflected in his book. While they present Kashmir with colours of peace and affection, Delhi is shaded as a city with fast-paced life and cranky where the character feels alienated. “Even in London, he keeps searching for his language, which reflects his loneliness. The house, in my story, is not only the building of brick rubble, but the language, mountains, rivers, weather and sky are also like a house,” he shared.

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