India, March 12 -- Mubaraq speaks suave and flawless English of the kind only long spells in a good old-fashioned convent school teaches you. Dressed in an elegant black sherwani, Mubaraq reveals a sophisticated and deep knowledge of what's happening around him. He also happens to be the owner of the premium houseboat where the author stayed for three days at Dal Lake in Srinagar. Mubaraq sums up what people in Kashmir are thinking very insightfully: "You see. Some good things are happening. Some bad things are also happening. If you focus on the good, you will be optimistic. If you focus only on the bad, you will be bitter and cynical".

Quite a few Kashmiris the author interacted with in the valley in Srinagar, Batmaloo, Bijbehara, Anan...