Srinagar, April 21 -- He didn't make it. And he couldn't take the pressure.

And suddenly, the quiet grief of one family became a mirror to the noise we've all been pretending not to hear.

I didn't know Faisal personally, but I've known many like him. Young boys and girls with tired eyes and hopeful hearts. Children who grow up believing their future rests on a single exam, who carry the weight of entire families' expectations as they try to memorise the periodic table one more time before bed.

I've lived that pressure. I just chose to walk away from it.

Back in school, when I told people I was opting for Humanities in Class 11, it felt like I'd committed a crime. My relatives reacted as if I had thrown my future away. "You're wasting ...