Srinagar, Aug. 29 -- A rickshaw bumps along a narrow street in Srinagar. Sunlight falls across a courtyard, catching dust in its path. A stranger passes by. Their eyes meet for a moment, and the world seems to hold its breath.

Dr. Falak Fayrooz notices such moments and lets them linger.

InHusn-e-Intekhab, a collection of seventeen essays published in 2023 by Kitabi Duniya, he transforms the ordinary into something larger, something thoughtful.

The book is small, five hundred copies, priced at Rs.370, but its reach is wide. It does not rest after one reading. It stays with you, pulling thought, reflection, and feeling into its orbit.

From the first page, Fayrooz explores the weight of knowledge. Learning can illuminate the mind, but it...