We are happy to present to learned readers a book entitled, "The Land of Women: An Historical Account of Memorable and Heroic Women of Kashmir" prepared by the Nari Samvad Prakalp- NSP- (Project on Woman's Discourse) of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts which was established with a view to combining study and experience of all arts, where all aspects of art even though complete in themselves would be related to nature, social composition and universe under dimensions of reciprocal interdependence. Here the scope of art incorporates all written and oral, creative and significant literature, architecture, sculpture, drawing & painting and graphics and expanded over to general material culture, photography and films. Besides, all other constituents of life-style are also included as visual arts, music in wider sense, dance and art of dramatic presentation, fairs, festivals, etc. In all its activities its fundamental approach is multi-disciplinary as well as inter-disciplinary. The Centre has been functioning as the main resource centre serving the cause of art in the areas of collection, preservation and propagation as well as expansion for the last three decades.

Each period creates its own story, its own history. In that period the people living on any piece of land pass through many emotional and geographical upheavals. Each life becomes its own story, with the passage of time such stories remain in circulation as were either related to many other lives or which showed the society a different way of thinking and doing something or else those stories remain that are narrated by the survivors. Every story is a very important link in understanding the history of every human society as well as theearth. What events did a region go through? How people happened there? What they didand why they did? What were its results? etc.-a correct understanding of all these things can be borne in the mind only when we try to understand its history as a whole. Although it is the irony with the whole history that its nature, whether it's complete or incomplete, it's fair or favourable to some, every time and perhaps all the time, is decided bythe rulers and administrators. Whatever historians find, it is possible only through, the available direct or indirect evidence. If we look in the context of Kashmir, in spite of having a Hindu history of thousands of years, the invaders, who came in the last few years, suppressed that history so deeply that nowonly an effort (which will be an up-hill task) can be made to connect the links with the help of the hard-to-find Neelmata Purana, Rajtarangini and some of the remaining ruins.