Arvind Munshi

I was born and brought up in Kashmir (J&K - India).
I was fortunate to have lived the initial years of my life with my grandparents in the picturesque village of Kilam of District, Kulgam. Climbing apple and apricot trees, bathing in the small stream in front of the house, feeding cows, attending to new born calves, growing vegetables, fetching wood after the snowfall, watching the spiritual and religious practices carried by my grandfather,observing the humor and practical wisdom of my grandmother, being part of village festivity- simple yet vibrant, the grand festival of Maha Shivratri, the village temple, loving and caring neighbors, life without electricity and tap water, sleeping at 7 in the evening, ensuring that before we have our meals- it is served to birds and after finishing all stray dogs are fed, the lessons on personal hygiene, the local gurus, deities,  saints with matted hair and clad in ashes,  the ghost stories, the giant chinar trees,  local heroes,  local politics and so on.

My parent's doctors by profession worked in Srinagar (summer capital of J&K) and that is where I did my schooling and slowly the naiveness of village life gave way to artificiality of urban life.  Like most Kashmiri Pandits my family left Kashmir in January 1990(the year of mass exodus), when I was a teenager, however the memories haven't faded.

I now live rather am lost  in the sea of people, in the so called capital of India.

I love reading historical fiction, mythology, biographies, fiction and books on spirituality.

 I like to write stories.  

I find stories as a way of connecting myself to people, places, situations, emotions, experiences, cultures, beliefs, thought processes and at the same time stretching imagination, fathoming the essence of life, expanding the contours of consciousness, least but not last as a means to be 'ever joyful'.

I wish you the same 'everlasting joy' reading my stories.