“If we keep our beards long, we are suspected to be al-Qaeda or the Taliban opeatives by the U.S. military. If we keep our beards short, we are assumed to be agents of international agencies by the Taliban. We don't want to be killed - we want to live.” ...Words - of a prayer, perhaps - by a local Afghan.
The world has engaged in the grand intellectual tussle led chiefly by the U.S., Global opinion is hopelessly biased, with the media praising the American efforts to the skies - and in the midst of the grand political and economic struggle, the voices of those who really matter go unheard. For decades, the people of Afghanistan have suffered in silence. Until now. Sujeet Sarkar's book, In Search of a New Afghanistan, voices the opinions of those who really matter — the Afghans themselves.
Sarkar shatters the mainstream ideas of Afghanistan and takes us beyond a nation crippled by decades of war, to a country that one can live in and fall in love with. Sarkar, who has, over the past fifteen years, worked at strengthening democratic governance and civil society in war-ravaged countries wants to rid the world of the notion that Afghanistan is doomed.
“The U.S. is set to withdraw troops from Afganistan in 2014 and there is much debate over the fate of the nation when that happens,” says Sarkar. “I saw a suicide bombing take place 40m from me, so yes, there is that side to living in Afghanistan. But they are a fascinating people with a fascinating culture and that’s what I want the world to see," he says. “The U.S. isn’t going to like my book, neither is the Taliban, but I’ve spoken the truth,” Sarkar admits. And he has.
As the media praises American efforts, little is said about the much good that happens in Afghanistan, good that is even more commendable because of where it comes from. “The state has managed to bring 7 million children to schools, 37% of whom are girls,” he points out. “Why doesn't the media talk about that? Because it isn't a breaking story to them. They will talk about the terrorists who have been killed, without giving a thought to the countless number they have created.”
This book might earn him a lot of enemies, it may barely see the light of day, even. But Sarkar has done what very few people have dared to do. Tell the only story about Afghanistan that truly needs telling.