Season’s first heavy snowfall on Friday brought smiles, but for Kashmir’s elderly, it brought hardships. It brought an unexpected day out to the district hospital Baramulla (associated GMC) where I found myself amidst the quiet struggles of our elderly citizens. Three chance encounters, three poignant tales of lives weathered–each one a mirror reflecting our collective responsibility. Here are their stories, shared one by one.
As I boarded the bus in Watergam, away at 1 & a half km distance from my edifice, I found a seat in the almost-empty vehicle–a far cry from the crowded rides of my college days. I sat alone till Tragpora on a three-seater, when Abdul Samad Khan, a 72-year-old from Rohama, joined me. Shivering with cold, he had a bag with a file inside. “Gubra Kate Chukh Rozan” (Where are you from, my dear?” he asked, starting a conversation. As we talked, he surprised me by asking about people from my village–acquaintances of his from long ago. “Chae Aasse Hakh Ne Tum Zanan. Chae Chukh Ratuk” (You might not know them, you’re too young), he said with a smile, connecting the threads of time.
Until Chakloo stop, I listened in awe as Samad Kak wove words of wisdom, his frail voice........

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