Abdul Rahman (name changed) was a man shaped by routine and restraint, raised in an era when endurance was praised and emotional excess was quietly discouraged. He had grown up believing that fatigue was physical, not mental, and that hardship could always be overcome by discipline. Complaints were luxuries; survival required grit. These beliefs were not cruel in his mind. They were protective, inherited wisdom passed down from fathers to sons, polished by time and necessity. His son, Ayaan (name changed) was twenty three years old. When Abdul Rahman was of that age, he was newly married, working long shifts at a local manufacturing unit, saving every rupee he could. Ayaan’s life did not resemble that road. He held a university degree that remained unused, framed not on a wall but buried in a drawer. His days were irregular, his sleep fragmented. He delivered food through a mobile app, drove for hours and returned home exhausted. To Abdul Rahman, it looked like idleness. He saw a young man who woke late, lacked urgency and appeared content doing work that did not build status or security. He mistook withdrawal for apathy and quiet for comfort. What he did not see was a mind in constant motion, measuring failure in automated rejection emails, counting losses in unpaid internships, watching opportunity retreat behind invisible digital gates. Their conversations followed a familiar pattern, and criticism was its constant rhythm.

Abdul Rahman corrected Ayaan the way one corrects a habit—frequently, automatically, without malice but without pause. If Ayaan slept late, Abdul Rahman remarked on wasted mornings. If he woke early, Abdul Rahman asked why it had taken so long to develop discipline. If Ayaan mentioned an interview, Abdul Rahman asked why it had not already turned into an offer. If days passed without news, Abdul Rahman warned him that employers sensed hesitation. Criticism threaded itself into ordinary moments.

At the dining table, Abdul Rahman commented on Ayaan’s posture, his silence, his distracted gaze. While watching the news, he spoke........

© Greater Kashmir