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Monkeys, Mountains, Magic: Highway to the Heart of Kashmir

Srinagar, June 6 -- The first time I travelled from Jammu toward Srinagar, something inside me shifted. The warmth of the plains faded behind me. The air turned cool and sharp. Pine trees appeared lik... Read More


When Love Is One-Sided in a Kashmiri Marriage

Srinagar, June 6 -- They weren't always silent. There were days when the house echoed with the sound of children running down the hallway, their laughter spilling into the corners. But when the noise ... Read More


A Reading Room in the Hills of Kashmir

Srinagar, June 6 -- It was around 1:30 in the afternoon when we arrived. The sun hung low, casting soft shadows on the green hills of Narabal, a village in Budgam district. A few of us, academic moni... Read More


Nature as Therapy: Inside Kashmir's Unspoken Mental Health Movement

Srinagar, June 6 -- Every morning, just after the sun lifts over the Zabarwan hills, a group of young men and women gather by the banks of Dal Lake. Some come with bicycles and mats. Others with nothi... Read More


The Qur'an Warns Against Waste. So Why Is Kashmir Overflowing with It?

Srinagar, June 5 -- Kashmir is changing, and not always for the better. Walk along the banks of the Jhelum and you'll spot plastic bottles bobbing in the water. Drive through what used to be thick fo... Read More


A Love Letter to the Struggling Souls of Kashmir

Srinagar, June 5 -- There are days in Kashmir when the sky turns its face away, and nothing feels like home. Not the chinar trees, not the azaan rolling over rooftops, not even your own name echoing ... Read More


Kashmir's Trees Are Fighting a Global Plastic War

Srinagar, June 5 -- I stood by the Chenab River recently and watched the water move. But it didn't flow like it used to. The river was carrying something heavier than current: bottles, plastic bags, w... Read More


Together, We Can Clean Kashmir's Lakes and Rivers

Srinagar, June 5 -- Kashmir's seasons once whispered stories of eternity. Now they shout the scars of a shattered land. Nothing here is untouched. When I was younger, I believed our mountains could n... Read More


Tunnels, Trees, and the Tightrope Walk in Kashmir

Srinagar, June 5 -- Every time a new road is planned or a tunnel is announced in Jammu & Kashmir, the old worries come up. People think forests will be chopped down, rivers will be polluted, and envir... Read More


Why the Teacher-Student Bond in Kashmir Deserves a Second Look

Srinagar, June 5 -- The story of a Kashmiri student walking miles barefoot, only putting on shoes at the school gate out of respect for his teacher, now sounds like a tale from a distant past. Today,... Read More