Vyeth, Jhelum, Vitasta
Some rivers just flow. The Vitasta is not one of those rivers. Known to the world as the Jhelum, and to Kashmiris simply as Vyeth, she doesn't merely flow. She presides. Born, according to the Nilamata Purana, from a strike of Shiva's trident and the form of Goddess Par
A Thousand Words in None
In what feels like a gut-punch, Aria Raina Kumar displays a maturity beyond her years as she talks about inheriting stories and loneliness, where light replaces words because the truth can only be felt and never told, in A Thousand Words in None.
The Speak-Easy Folk
The 1920s were endlessly fascinating, filled with glamour, jazz, Art Deco, rebellion, and the seeds of modernity on one side; oppression, inequality, and fragility on the other. Back home in India, something else was stirring: regional languages were finding their voice
Muthi To Mumbai
From the refugee shelters of Muthi Camp to the glittering skyline of Mumbai, Priya’s journey is one of quiet courage and transformation. Born into displacement after her Kashmiri Pandit family fled Anantnag, she grows through hardship, sustains her family, and redefin
The Green Sari
In the spring of 1988, Fatehkadal hummed with the familiar rhythms of Kashmiri life: the smell of freshly baked bread drifting from the baker's stall, Raj Begum's voice on Radio Kashmir, and Baabi's quiet worry over her daughter's future. She was only twenty-two when sh
Choosing Gratitude Over Comparison
Wedding season can feel like a competition — who spends more, who impresses more, who shows more. But what if we chose differently? Instead of comparing and criticising, what if we chose gratitude? A beautiful wedding doesn't need financial pressure or over-the-top sh
Rajma Gojj, Baramulla, 1988
For most North Indian families, rajma chawal sits at the very top of the comfort food hierarchy. For Kashmiri Pandits, it looks a little different: no onions, no tomatoes — just turnips and a deep, earthy broth that is entirely its own. In this essay, Sheetal Raina tr
Time Heals .. but also .. Deepens the Love!
Pain, suffering, or the loss of someone dear is never easy to overcome. No one truly prepares you for it. Through years of working with young children navigating illness, grief, and loss, one truth stands out: children are far more resilient than they appear. With hones
Ode to Kashmir
Those beautiful valleys, that wide and breathing sky, those murmuring waterfalls forever in motion – we left them behind and burn now in distance and longing. Dal and Char, quiet lakes, chinars and saffron fields still search for us, but where will they find us now? W
When the Almond Trees Forgot Our Names
In a small two-room flat in Jammu, Rajesh Koul watches sparrows fight over crumbs, but his eyes see only the almond trees of Kashmir that once whispered his name. Exile has lasted thirty-six years, yet the scent of kehwa, the hum of Kashir bhajans, and the faith that en
Walking Down the Kadals of Herath
Walking down the kadals of Herath begins where most Herath essays end — not with the pooja, the prasad, or the beloved rituals, but with what comes after. Mridula takes us first through the warmth and wit of childhood memory: crisp ten-rupee notes and gold-wrapped Cad