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Set against the backdrop of the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, this young adult graphic novel captures the aspirations of sportspersons from the region and what it costs to pursue their dreams. 

Dominantly rendered in hues of pastel reds and greens, Terminal 3 tells the story of 17-year-old Khwab Nazir, a young jiu-jitsu player. The book opens with Khwab (whose name translates to "dream" or "aspiration") waiting at the airport lounge in New Delhi for her flight to the US.

As she counts down the hours, Khwab thinks back to a time two years ago, walking home with her friend Noor (whose name translates to "light" or "brightness"), discussing their hopes for the future. Noor had lifted her friend's spirits at the time, telling Khwab that some day she would play for India and win gold.

However, proceeding to the next stage of her professional career would require Khwab to move out of the valley for access to better training facilities. Her coach Omar suggested launching a crowdfunding campaign to enable this. While her family remained supportive of Khwab pursuing a career in sports, this wasn't always the case. We see her mother's friend Khadija suggest that Khwab would be better off getting married instead, and settling down to a life of domesticity—an attitude that is not uncommon in many parts of India even today.

Khwab isn't sure about the path ahead but grows more resolute as the story progresses when her own life, and those of her near and dear, are impacted by the unrest in the valley.

Author-Illustrator Debasmita Dasgupta, who visited Kashmir multiple times during her childhood, has spoken about how when speaking with people from the region as a part of her research for the book, they said it was common to see heightened security personnel in the city, or to be in the same vicinity as a vehicle explosion. Debasmita has maintained that while she sought to tell a story of inner and outer conflict, she also wanted it to spark hope for her readers, especially young people from the valley who don't often see themselves represented in mainstream children's and young adult literature.

There are portions of Terminal 3 in which particular aspects of Kashmiri heritage shine through. Be it the food that Khwab's mother serves: chapati (bread), Kashmiri saag (a dish made from leafy green vegetables), khatte baingan (tangy eggplant); or the visual of a blanket with Kashida embroidery, unique to the region; or the motifs of the chinar trees, redolent of Kashmir, that make their way onto the pages either in full colour, or bare and stripped down, silently in tune with the ups and downs that Khwab experiences.

Terminal 3 gives us a glimpse into the gravity and mettle of the people from Kashmir, reminding us to pause when we hear their stories next, and re-examine these with fresh eyes.

Written and Illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta
Published by Penguin Books, India
February, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-143-45270-6

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With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

Karthika Gopalakrishnan is the Head of Reading at Neev Academy, Bangalore, and the Director of the Neev Literature Festival. In the past, she has worked as a children’s book writer, editor, and content curator at Multistory Learning which ran a reading program for schools across south India. Prior to this, Karthika was a full-time print journalist with two national dailies. Her Twitter handle is g_karthika.