Tales of Kashmir

On a winter night in the early 1990s, a family packed what little they could carry and left their home behind, unsure if they would ever return. In another part of the Valley, a different family stayed—only to gather days later around a grave that car…

On a typical Sunday in Srinagar, a quiet room gradually fills with the low murmur of conversation. People arrive without formality—some carrying books, others simply curious—and settle into a shared space that feels both calm and quietly alive. There …

In the forests above Srinagar, a silent survivor moves through shrinking and fragmented habitats—one of the last of its kind on Earth. The Kashmir stag , locally known as Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) , is one of the most endangered large mammals in …

In September 2014, when the floods swallowed large parts of Srinagar, stories of loss spread quickly. But some stories didn’t travel far. They stayed where they happened—within localities, within memory. One of those stories is of Adil Ahmad Chopan. A…

There are historical figures who lead movements, and then there are those who alter the very conditions that make movements possible. Begum Zaffar Ali (born Sahibzaadi Syeda Fatima) belongs firmly to the latter category. Her life was not defined by dr…

In Kashmir, where history is not merely recorded but endured, the role of a poet has never been ornamental. It has been existential. Words, in such a landscape, are not chosen lightly—they carry memory, dissent, grief, and, at times, defiance. Among t…