As I close my letter, I want to tell you that as I have understood Kashmir through your letters, it has removed my apprehensions and made me even more curious about Kashmir and Kashmiris. Earlier I was afraid because of the image created by the society and the media, but after our conversations, I am excited to go to Kashmir to understand and experience it myself.
These are words from Saumya’s last letter to Duaa in the book Postbox Kashmir. This is a non-fiction book holding sixteen brief yet substantial letters between the two girls. The letters are strung together by Divya Arya giving elaborate historical details of events in and around Kashmir and references related to discussions that happen between the pen pals.
Divya Arya, in her introduction to the book, describes the idea behind the project, the journey to reach the two girls in New Delhi and Kashmir respectively and through discussions with their parents–-as the project was with two adolescents, their parents’ consent and confidence in the venture was essential. What then follow are letters between Saumya and Duaa, interspersed with Divya’s writing that contextualizes the conversations with descriptions of a series of events in history and recent past.