These short chapters tell you in a low-key manner how every little aspect of Kashmiri life is affected by the Indian military 'presence'. It's brilliantly written.

Farah Bashir, who was born and grew up in Kashmir and a former photojournalist with Reuters, writes about her childhood in the late 80s and early 90s. All her stories - whether they're about listening to music on a music system, reading the newspaper, adolescent love, a deaf-mute house help, grinding chillies for the year, or the pride of living in the tallest house in the neighbourhood - invariably end with descriptions of the horrors of living under military occupation.

Bashir's brilliance lies in the way she constructs her narratives and records the behavioural changes in Kashmiris and the devastating effects on their physical and mental health. She doesn't try to repeat accounts of well-known tragedies like the Gaw Kadal massacre, but tells stories about a teenage girl's life in a conflict zone. 'Rumours of Spring' has fewer gory details of life in Kashmir than other non-fiction and fiction on the topic. Nevertheless, it's a painful read, despite its humour and evocative reminiscences.

I must also mention an annoying aspect of this book. Lots of Kashmiri/Urdu/Hindi/Arabic words, phrases and even whole sentences and verses without translation. The Notes section in the end helps a bit but you'd need to look them up.

'Rumours of Spring' is an important book on Kashmir. It's Farah Bashir's first book. I'm looking forward to her next one.