Srinagar, June 11 -- "He seemed fine."

That's what they said when a boy from our neighbourhood died by suicide last winter. He used to play cricket with us. He'd crack jokes on the bus to college. I saw him a week before he died, buying chips from the shop near the shrine. He looked normal. Just another young Kashmiri trying to make it through the day.

But he wasn't fine. None of us are, really.

In Kashmir, men don't cry. We're not supposed to. We're taught to keep our heads down, work hard, provide, protect, never complain.

From a young age, boys here are conditioned to stay tough, like we're preparing for some invisible battle. Crying is for girls. Talking about feelings is shameful. So we push it down and hope it stays buried.

But...