The Concept of VAE VICTIS pervades in El-Dorado

“Woe to the vanquished” or “woe to the conquered”. The phrase which originally reads VAE VICTIS in Latin means that those defeated in battle are entirely at the mercy of their conquerors and should not expect or request leniency. The rules of battlefield are clear, you lose the race you pay the price. To be best in whatever you are currently doing, your aura and the grind has to be the paramount, otherwise the end is nasty. Basit Khurshid was born and raised in Srinagar, Kashmir. Whereas the survival set for people around the globe may be food and water, it was and is quite different for Kashmir. Since childhood his parents raised him with the best possible facilities that could be made available to one. Mr. Khurshid studied and completed his schooling from the Burn Hall School. This was where his passion for writing and the general aura for English started. The best in-house teachers, and the beautiful people, all the factors together set pace for what ‘El-Dorado’ is today.

Mr. Khurshid credits his family for encouragement in all sorts of business that I ever jumped into. He considers it as a blessing to have a father who would sacrifice all their yearnings and a mother who would encourage the good in me. He also feels blessed because life has provided me with wonderful friends.

Mr. Khurshid completed his degree from the University of Kashmir through SSM College of Engineering and Technology in the year 2019. Much before the declaration of his final result he forayed into the IT industry and started working and am still working at my first job.

Writing has always been his little thing to do and will forever stay with me as a hobby, English and Urdu are the two languages which I am profound in. He has been an avid reader of fiction The thrill in reading and portrayal of a character was what invigorated a temptation to create something of the same genre. I had been interested in reading history since the very start. The mix of fiction and history created a irresistible magnetism in my mind, the end result of which is ‘El-Dorado’. In the dark times, writing in solitude is what keeps him going.

The idea and concept of El-Dorado started in the year 2010 when in a history book he glanced upon the voyages that were set upon by various nations in search of the ultimate prize. The idea stayed with me until the year 2016, when Kashmir was shut down and there was nothing to do owing to a telecom lockdown. Mr. Khurshid started writing the book in August 2016 and completed it by December 2016. The file remained on his computer for 3 years untouched and unscathed, lost amongst the multiple records until the end of 2019, when I started off with the publishing process. The editing process was tedious but the end fruit was delightful. The book saw the light of the day in August 2021, almost 5 years after he started working on it.

El-Dorado is an expression of bounty, abundance and reward. It represents the worldly desires in addition to ones heartily desires. A man is flesh and bones, but a human is flesh and bones with spirits. El-Dorado as a book represents the life and its rigid value in terms of denominations. Fiction novels give humans an escapade from their daily woes and provide a space where they create their little fictitious self and try to live off this imaginary character in real life. The book tries to burst in enthusiasm towards the expression of fictional heroic living. The book whereas provides an emotional ride also has a touch of VAE VICTIS. El-Dorado gives a light of hope and kindles the optimism sometimes whereas it dispels the positivity and bursts into disapproval yet other times. Mr. Khurshid encapsulate the ‘WOES’ of life in a couple of Urdu lines.

Kya kho diya kya paa liya, iss zindagi mai hum jhool gaye
Hum chaltay thai jin raston se, wo rastay humain bhool gaye.

 Kya shaan thi uss waqt ki, hum kehtay thai jo, wo kartay gaye
Hum itnay masroof huay zindagi mai, wo tariqay humain bhool gaye.

 Kya khoya kya paaya humnay, iska hisaab bhi na rakh gaye
Hum nuksaan kar gaye apna, wo faiday humain bhool gaye.

 Kya talaash thi humain, yai daryaft na kabi kar gaye
Hum doondtay rahay par, wo zariyay humain bhool gaye.

Kya hosakhega humse, zindagi barbaad kartay gaye
Hum chaltay thai jin raston se, wo rastay humain bhool gaye.