Srinagar, Jan. 20 -- The hills that once stood as Kashmir's winter guardians now burn with a fury that feels both unnatural and inevitable. Smoke rises where snow should have fallen, and the silence of winter has been replaced by the crackle of flames. The forests, stripped of their resilience by dry air and brittle undergrowth, surrender to fire as if they were waiting for it. What was once a season of crystal streams and white blankets has become a season of ash.

This is not a single accident of negligence. It is the symptom of a deeper unravelling. Winters arrive without snow, afternoons warm beyond reason, nights plunge into biting cold, and the land itself becomes confused. Vegetation dries, rivers shrink, and the fragile balance th...