Eleven years after his rattling case shocked Kashmir, Kaleem Qadri lives on in his hometown walls and his siblingโs virtual identity. It was the longest night at Qadriโs. The moon was out, the day had passed and no one knew where Kaleem had gone. The entire family sat together comforting one another and convincing themselves…
Last few days of traumatic events have unearthed the buried memories of the lived experiences making the mood melancholic in mountains. Anisa crosses this bridge as rarely as possible. But mostly, she crosses it as she has no other choice. Itโs any other bridge in the city โ a mass of concrete with iron poles…
Saba finally bids goodbye to Mogli and leans in for a longer hug than she had expected as if their wombs had aligned and were conversing one last time. Hawkish eyes and hostile gazes are back to make every mortal a suspicious soul in her town. Some flattened symbols and signs are equally making a…
โMy children are now growing up and I sometimes wish for a third baby but due to the scare of C-section, I avoid third pregnancy,โ Aarizoo said in a remorseful tone. One morning, a week before her due date, Aarizooโs labour pain started. She called her doctor, who advised her to get admitted to a…
Covid chronicles mightโve started sounding a bit clichรฉd now, but as the threat of the third wave is still looming large, some stories continue to stir for their evocative appeal. Asma was busy with household chores when her mother, Khadija, called in to inform her that she was tested positive for Covid-19. It was April…
In the darkest hours, his father would say, โGet out of my house!โ Itโs the year 2015โฆ 10-year-old boy hears some noises on the premises and the sound of a car. From a room on the first floor, through a small window hole, he saw his father getting out of the car. Heโs accompanied by…
For upholding kindness in the state of penury, Ahsan ended up reaping gold in life. Ahsan lived in an age-old kaput house with an unkempt courtyard. The ambience gave away the destitute vibes. But the headman always tried to tackle poverty and pathos with his day and night slog. The onus lied on him to…
In this city of grief, I keep telling him that we should empathise with each other. But no, this old fox always points out faults in others. Streets arenโt the same anymore, so he thoughtโwatching footfall from his cobbler corner. That old bustle, as he remembers it, has long disappeared in the bludgeoning hush. Pretence,…
Based on the oral history by Kashmirโs ace chronicler, Zareef Ahmad Zareef, the author in this piece narrates the iconic street of Srinagarโs unique brands and characters that made it illustrious for generation to come. Fronting Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammadโs MA Road mainstay, the iconic Poloview market literally had a blazing beginning in fiery…
After redefining rhythm and routine, a waning second wave has now restored some old order, including the mosque camaraderie. In this piece, the author talks about one such comradeship curbed by the coronavirus. When I became a captive of the red zone, that old mosque mate of my grandfatherโs age felt like a castaway company.ย …