Srinagar, March 3 -- The First Stirrings of Devotion

My journey with Ramazan began under the gentle guidance of my parents, relatives, and teachers, who sowed the seeds of faith in my heart early on. I remember the electrifying evening when the radio crackled with news of Ramazan's arrival. I was in 1st grade, and my cousins and I huddled around the device, wide-eyed, as the announcement unfolded. In our youthful zeal, we pledged to fast the entire month, oblivious to the challenges ahead.

Back then, digital alarms were a novelty. One cousin unearthed one from an old almirah, and we embarked on a mission to decode Sehri timings. Clueless about predawn hours, we turned to an aunt, who cryptically advised waking "an hour before the Fajr A...