“Why are India and Pakistan fighting over Kashmir? How did the conflict begin?”
If your child has asked you such questions, The Battle for Baramulla written by Mallika Ravikumar, published by Duckbill (Penguin) provides you with a great starting point.
Short Summary
Set in October 1947 in the Kashmir valley, this middle-grade historical fiction (part of the Songs of Freedom Series) brings alive the traumatic moment when frontier tribes supported by Pakistan invaded the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir.
The narrator, a twelve-year-old girl named Zooni, watches her town of Baramulla shake under panic, fear, and shifting loyalties. Her courageous cousin Maqbool Sherwani, a historical figure, pledges to protect Kashmir and its people. Yet Zooni wonders: how can they face “truckloads of tribesmen bearing grenades and guns”?
Through the eyes of children, the book explores what happens when political decisions, fear, identity and conflict all collide in a corner of India rarely simplified.
Why it’s a great introduction to the Kashmir conflict for children
Accessible historical setting
The story is set at the very moment when the Kashmir issue begins to take shape as the princely state is struggling to decide between India, Pakistan, or going independent. The invasion of Baramulla becomes a concrete event a young reader can anchor to.
Personal perspective
Instead of abstract geopolitics, we follow Zooni and Maqbool Sherwani, a historical figure who played a decisive role in the battle, who are in real danger, and feel their loss, their pain. That helps children feel the human side of history, navigating fear, loyalty, confusion.
Bridges myth and reality
The book is based on solid historical research and a section on the end of the book contains a note about historical sources.
Domino Effect
The story shows how one decision and event (the tribal invasion, the Maharaja’s decision) can lead to a long-running dispute and affect the lives of millions for years to come.
Links to Infantry Day
The story resonates with why Indian Army Infantry Day is observed in India (on 27 October), marking the first major deployment of Indian infantry in Kashmir’s defence in 1947.
Indian Army Infantry Day
Infantry Day is observed in India on 27 October each year to honour the infantry troops who landed in Kashmir in 1947 and turned the tide following the tribal invasion of the valley.
In The Battle for Baramulla, that landing and the larger conflict backdrop form part of Zooni’s world. Apart from the story, the book also helps explain why India remembers that day, connecting a date in the calendar to a historical story, place and person.
Starts important conversations
How do you decide which country you belong to? What happens when your home becomes a battleground? Why do some people flee while others stay and fight? What is one’s identity? Is it shaped by one’s religion? Or region? Or something else? These are questions that children may grasp through Zooni’s experiences.
Online Reviews
- “The Battle for Baramulla – A Kashmiri Saga On Sacrifice” at KidsBookCafe: quick pace and strong narrative keep you hooked. kidsbookcafe.com
- “Unforgettable historical fiction” review at BooksTeaCupReviews. booksteacupreviews.com
- A recent review called it “emotional, haunting, and unforgettable historical fiction.” booksteacupreviews.com
- Book Review in the New Indian Express
- “For children: It is October 1947… Maqbool Sherwani promises to protect Kashmir from attackers” – excerpt from Scroll.in. Scroll.in
- Author & publisher page (Penguin India / Duckbill imprint) with details.
Where to buy
- Amazon India: Link Amazon India
- Amazon (International/e-book): Link Amazon
