New Delhi, May 17 -- Shabir Ahmad Mir's new novel, The Last Knot, is set in Kashmir under the Dogra rule, but the overall mood it conjures up isn't a million miles away from the state of darkness and despair that the region has found itself plunged into over the last several decades. The main actors of his story are the Muslim carpet weavers from the state, who, in the 19th century, had to pay exorbitant taxes under the rule of the Dogra kings. Although their craftsmanship was highly valued, these carpet weavers could not save themselves from persecution by the ruling elite. The price of defection from their profession could be lethal, including death, so running away wasn't a solution. The community was kept under a strict watch, tethere...