Kashmir has been on the mind of Maharaj Kaul ever since the eruption of the civil war there in 1989, and it has been in his mind since his childhood, as he was born there. For him Kashmir is more than his birthplace, it is an irrigator of his consciousness. The author of the books The Light Through The Woods: Dreams Of Survival Of Human Soul In The Age Of Technology and Inclinations And Reality: The Search For The Absolute published last year examines the ongoing civil war in Kashmir over the last two decades that has wounded both the Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits in the spheres of personal, economic, social, and political lives and it has rendered the latter into refugees in their own nation, exiled from their home of 5,000 years. Thousands of Kashmiris have died, a lot more wounded; but the end is not even in sight. The soul of Kashmir is under pressure. The book explores the causes and history of Kashmir Problem and what its solution should be. It also celebrates some of its outstanding people and provides vignettes of some of its popular places, culture, life, and mystifying natural beauty. It is both a mourning over the tragedy of Kashmir and a celebration of its spiritual essence.

Kashmir has been on the mind of Maharaj Kaul ever since the eruption of the civil war there in 1989, and it has been in his mind since his childhood, as he was born there. For him Kashmir is more than his birthplace, it is an irrigator of his consciousness. The author of the books The Light Through The Woods: Dreams Of Survival Of Human Soul In The Age Of Technology and Inclinations And Reality: The Search For The Absolute published last year examines the ongoing civil war in Kashmir over the last two decades that has wounded both the Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits in the spheres of personal, economic, social, and political lives and it has rendered the latter into refugees in their own nation, exiled from their home of 5,000 years. Thousands of Kashmiris have died, a lot more wounded; but the end is not even in sight. The soul of Kashmir is under pressure. The book explores the causes and history of Kashmir Problem and what its solution should be. It also celebrates some of its outstanding people and provides vignettes of some of its popular places, culture, life, and mystifying natural beauty. It is both a mourning over the tragedy of Kashmir and a celebration of its spiritual essence.

In The Rhapsody of Kashmir, his fifth collection of poetry, Kashmiri-American poet, Maharaj Kaul, describes Kashmir, the land of his ancestors, after the civil war of 1989. He saw the wanton destruction of human beings and homes, milieu and culture. He laments: The clandestine evil schemes of 80s Hatched in our neighbor country Coalesced into one infernal insane fire in 89, Destroying the finely woven culture of a millennia in the valley, Disturbing the tranquility of a million years among the mountains. A friend turned into a murderer, A neighbor into an arsonist; A community acquiesced to become an army. An angelic valley became a death valley All in the name of God and religion. (From the poem Roots.) In his preface to the book he writes: The ongoing political crises in Kashmir, born in 1947, has mutilated the soul of Kashmir. The political heroes of the crises have no idea of the damage they have done to it. It will take a long time before the soul of Kashmir is healed,. But Maharaj Kaul has a hope that one day Kashmir will be reborn: But the idea of Kashmir is still not dead, There is hope, in fact, a dream, that one day it will be reborn And reconnect with its past glory. Then we will not mourn the lost time, But celebrate mans infinite resilience, To forget, to forgive, to recreate, and move on. (From the poem The Shattered Dream of Kashmir)

In the varied concatenation of life's experiences lies its essence-a journey full of joy and pain. Man comes with pristine qualities of truthfulness, simplicity, and the wonder of nature. In his birth lies his religion. It is his passage through the world that is often full of struggle; in response, he looks for a God to help him. A Beautiful Pain presents a collection of poems ruminating on joy, beauty, and the wonder of life. Meditating on life's meaning, it explores the range of human emotions, from the pain of first heartbreak to a study of the quintessence of inner luminosity. Poet Maharaj Kaul searches for the truth of life in this collection, which like life itself is multi-faceted and has a few grand themes running through it. There is a road in front of us smoother than any highway we have seen, There is music beckoning us more rapturous than we have ever heard, There is faith in us stronger than a million facts we have known, There is a light within us more luminous than the thousand exploding suns, We were born with a spirit thirsting for the infinite. -from "Quintessence of Inner Luminosity"

In A Remnant of Time, his fourth collection of poetry, Kashmiri American poet Maharaj Kaul continues his exploration of the elements that make the inner life of a human being. These verses hold that the journey of human life, as practiced in the age of technology, is greatly hindered by modern culture. Kaul holds that humanitys souls are tarnished by stress and by demands on their energy and time. We have grown lonely as our contact with others is reduced and our family relationships become less than ardent. This collection of poems reflects the inner emptiness that humanity experiences while in the lap of material security and considers the human condition and the search for human values. It also expresses Kauls deep love for his native Kashmir. A Remnant of Time conveys that we must resist the inhuman thrust of materialism and technology and instead preserve the grandeur of our souls, the gifts given to us by nature as we arrived in the world.

In his second compilation of poetry, Kashmiri-American poet Maharaj Kaul explores the shimmering emptiness of modern life. From the author of Meditations On Time and Inclinations And Reality: The Search For The Absolute comes an exciting new book of poetry, The Light Through The Woods. In it the poet bemoans how modern man has sacrificed his inner freedom and natural joy in living by creating and believing in the present culture of materialism and technology. He believes that man is born with inner freedom, joy, grandeur, and grace but as he grows up the existing culture corrupts him to realize these powerful elements. He strongly urges man to spiritually reconnect with nature to regain his soul. The poems also celebrate the poets stunningly beautiful birthplace, Kashmir, India, and express his joy in reminiscing about his childhood there as well as his sadness as he contemplates the wastefulness of its political struggles and the tragic dispossession and diaspora of his people, Kashmiri Pandits. The poems also reflect on the drama of human condition and the search of the human values. A visionary collection of poems dreaming of man regaining his natural inner beauty.

In the Himalayas of the Indian part of Kashmir three communities depend on the ecology of the Dal lake: market gardeners, houseboat owners and fishers. Floating Economies describes for the first time the complex intermeshing economy, social structure and ecology of the area against the background of history and the present volatile socio-political situation. Using a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, the author deals with the socioeconomic strategies of the communities whose livelihoods are embedded here and analyses the ecological condition of the Dal, and the reasons for its progressive degradation.