By: Arshid Qalmi

In Kashmir, a land known for its natural beauty and rich intellectual tradition, it is heart-breaking to witness how societal rigidity and mental stagnation still pervade our schools, families, and public discourse. Across communities, we see how judgmental attitudes, prejudice, and jealousy quietly grow, not as isolated flaws, but as inevitable outcomes of deeper psychological and social constructions. Narrow-mindedness, fixed mind-sets, and inherited societal norms are the invisible chains that hold back not only individuals but also the progress of our region.

Narrow-mindedness is not merely a lack of exposure to diversity; it is a conditioned resistance to it. In our schools, for example, students are too often discouraged from asking uncomfortable questions. In households, conformity is sometimes mistaken for respect. And in social circles, someone who dares to think differently is easily branded as rebellious. Such rigidity leaves little space for nuance or empathy and........

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