Indian Muslims need self-driven achievers — not external validation. Shehla Rashid launches her path-breaking book at Kashmir LitFest.

Role Models: Inspiring Stories of Indian Muslim Achievers is the first book of its kind — built on the sociological premise that communities progress when their entrepreneurial middle class drives growth from within. Rashid argues that Indian Muslims are not a civilisational minority (sharing DNA and cultural roots with Hindus and Sikhs across the subcontinent) but became “minoritised” through Partition’s disruption of the middle class. She features Professor Faizan Mustafa — a legal luminary who has publicly stated that wherever temple destruction evidence is overwhelming, Muslim communities should proactively hand sites back — as an example of the pragmatic, self-accountable leadership the community needs.

About the Speaker:
Shehla Rashid is an academic with research interests in technology and politics, as well as a well-known voice in youth activism in India. She is a former student leader and the first Kashmiri woman to be elected as an office-bearer of the JNU Students’ Union in 2015. An accomplished author and speaker, she wrote Role Models: Inspiring Stories of Muslim Achievers (Penguin, 2024) showcasing successful Muslim figures in India.

Moderator:
Aadi Achint is the founder of Def Talks by Aadi Achint, a digital platform known for insightful conversations on defense, strategy, and national security. He is a keen geopolitical observer whose analyses and interviews have gained significant recognition among strategic affairs enthusiasts in India and beyond.