India, Feb. 20 -- A few days ago, the newspapers did not just carry a headline. They carried a memory.

Three men sentenced to death for gang rape and murder. Clinical words. Legal words. Necessary words. And in the middle of it all, the name of a young man who had tried to stop them. Bibash Nayak. Twenty-five.

Murdered because he stood between brutality and two women.

I remember Bibash.

Six years ago, he was part of my small class of seventeen aspiring writers. A quiet youngster. Not the type to dominate discussion. When others performed their brilliance, he listened. When he finally spoke, it was measured, thoughtful, and almost shy. But when he wrote, he blazed.

His assignment was titled "A Bookmark." A story about a homeless artis...