Char Chinar

Char Chinar is a charming trip back to Girish Aivalli’s ‘home towns’ of Srinagar and Jammu – a journey into his childhood, peppered with amusing anecdotes and interactions. It strolls leisurely through a delightful childhood in Kashmir, with other children of All India Service officers, much before Kashmir erupted in a way in which no one could have imagined. Though most of them could not go back to the valley, the valley stayed with them, reflected in their winter pherans and Pathan suits, a lingering taste for Kashmiri cuisine, and the movies they watched. Girish Aivalli nostalgically revisits the lovely bungalows of Srinagar and Jammu where they lived, played cricket, and had many an adventure – hoping that the book brings joy to the friends and families who lived in the valley and interacted with him, as well as offer a glimpse to those who did not.