There are some books that really don’t sensationalise tragedy – they simply hold it out for the world to see, raw and unfiltered. Our Moon Has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita is one such work. Without theatrics or blame games, Pandita tells the deeply personal story of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus – his family’s story. Through his memories, he reclaims a narrative long overlooked, reminding readers that behind every conflict are real people, homes, rituals, and ruptures.
The Narrative: Poignant and Powerful
Pandita’s prose is unadorned but emotionally raw. He weaves between past and present, memory and reality, giving us glimpses of a childhood lost to conflict and a family forever altered by violence. The strength of the narrative lies in its honesty – there is no attempt to mask pain or seek validation. Instead, there is storytelling in its most urgent form: a truth that demands to be told.
History Through a Personal Lens
Unlike academic accounts of the Kashmir conflict, Pandita’s memoir brings the lens down to a single household – his. Through anecdotes about his home, his father’s books, the fear on the streets, and the betrayal by neighbours, we understand the tragedy not in numbers, but in faces and names. This is history made heartbreakingly intimate.
Themes of Identity, Belonging & Betrayal
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is its exploration of what it means to be exiled. Pandita captures the psychological toll of becoming a refugee in one’s own country – being invisible, unheard, and often unwanted. There is a recurring sense of betrayal – not just by neighbours and friends – but also by the State and mainstream narratives that buried the Pandit story under silence.
Language & Style: Spare Yet Stirring
The writing is restrained, never melodramatic. Pandita allows the weight of the events to speak for themselves. His journalistic background lends clarity, but the heartache gives it poetry. Certain passages, especially those describing his mother’s grief or the rituals of remembrance, are quietly devastating.
Summing Up
Our Moon Has Blood Clots is a vital read – not just for those who want to understand Kashmir, but for anyone interested in the cost of silence and the scars of displacement. It doesn’t offer solutions, but it offers something more enduring: memory.
A memoir that mourns what was lost but refuses to forget – Rahul Pandita has given voice to an erased history, and in doing so, asks us to listen with empathy and courage.
