Srinagar, May 19 -- Sorrow in Kashmir often travels in silence. But not always the kind you'd expect.

While stories of women's silent suffering have rightly received attention, another kind of silence, one that cloaks men's pain, remains overlooked.

Behind stoic faces and restrained words are men carrying emotional burdens they've been taught never to name. These are not just personal struggles, they are public health concerns, social realities, and cultural blind spots.

From early childhood, Kashmiri boys grow up hearing the phrase: "Kar xhop-pe, Waddan cheukh kor-re hind paet-th"-don't cry like a girl.

This casual dismissal of emotion stays with them, shaping their sense of manhood and gradually teaching them that vulnerability is s...