Srinagar, May 27 -- I'm from the frontier town of Kashmir, where fear moves faster than news. I study at Ramjas College in Delhi, nearly a thousand kilometers away from home. Usually, this distance gives me room to focus on books, on building a future. But due to the recent border escalation, the distance suddenly became unbearable.

At first, things seemed normal. My two roommates-one from Poonch, the other from Uri-were also busy with classes and work. We live in a city where no one really pauses to notice conflict unless it disrupts the metro schedule. Violence back home had become so common, we almost believed we were immune to its weight.

But our parents knew better. During our routine calls, they began hinting that things were gett...