English translation of Manav Kaul's 'Rooh' to release on April 17

New Delhi: The English translation of actor-author Manav Kaul's 2022 travelogue "Rooh" will hit the stands on April 17, announced Penguin Random House India (PRHI).

The novel, originally written in Hindi, shows readers the lesser-talked-about ethereal beauty of Kashmir. In the book, the protagonist, Kaul, makes a physical and metaphorical journey back to Kashmir and relives the past as a part of the present.

"It is an imaginary world in which a writer sees himself travel -- in which the main journey is inwards, of a traveller who is struggling to collect the lived portraits of his childhood. . . If this book is in your hands, I hope the fragrance of Kashmir will reach you too," writes Kaul in the book.

Born in Baramulla, Kashmir, Kaul is an acclaimed actor who has given powerful performances in films like "Tumhari Sulu", "Jolly LLB 2", "Thappad" and Netflix anthology "Ajeeb Daastaans".

His books "Theek Tumhare Peeche" (Right Behind You) and "Prem Kabootar" (Love Pigeon) have been dominating the Neilson bestseller list.

According to the publishers, the book is "pristine, beautiful, raw and engaging" -- just like the valley it's set in.

"And Manav Kaul is able to capture the essence of its being in a stream of consciousness that is almost like a reverie which one doesn’t wish to come out of," said Vaishali Mathur, publisher, Indian Languages at PRHI.