"Buddha Stands on the Banks of Dal !" by Dr. Chandrashekhar B. Sharma is a searing and deeply philosophical collection of poems [ nazm] that traverses the fault lines of personal grief and collective trauma. Rooted in the syncretic cultural ethos of Kashmir, Sharma’s poetic vision is both elegiac and resistant. Originally composed in Hindustani and rendered into English, this collection weaves lyrical grace with political urgency, echoing the wounded conscience of a land entangled in violence, betrayal, and ideological extremism.

The genesis of the collection lies in the tragic terrorist attack of April 22,2025 in Pahalgam [Jammu & Kashmir], in which 26 innocents were massacred—a moment that the poet marks as both personal and national rupture. This poetry does not merely mourn; it interrogates. Through metaphors such as the decaying pashmina (In the Voice of Pashm) and termite-infested shikaras (Termite), Sharma critiques the radicalization of Kashmiri youth, the erosion of cultural memory, and the cynical manipulation of sacred symbols for political ends.

The poet's invocation of the Buddha and the Eightfold Path becomes a spiritual compass amidst the moral disorientation of war-torn Kashmir. His aesthetic is grounded not in escapism, but in ethical engagement; the poems become acts of witness and resistance. Ultimately, the collection transcends lamentation and gestures toward redemption, offering poetry as a vehicle for inner transformation, truth-telling, and collective healing.

This is not merely a collection of poems—it is a meditative document of Kashmir’s bloodied yet resilient soul.