Written by Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina

A man shouting on the roadside. Torn clothes. A wild beard. No shoes. No shelter. Most people walked past. But one boy couldn’t forget.

It was a moment that stayed with him — an image lodged deep in his memory. That man had nothing. And yet, that boy, barely ten at the time, was headed home to a warm meal, clean clothes, and a family waiting for him.

“As I sat down for dinner one night,” Musadiq Bashir recalls, “I couldn’t stop thinking about this middle-aged man I’d seen on the roadside. His clothes were torn, his beard unkempt. He looked like he had no one. Meanwhile, I had everything — a home, food, family. That thought never left me.”

Years passed. The image didn’t fade. In 2022, now a 22-year-old engineering student in Pulwama, Musadiq began noticing more and more people like that man from his childhood — silent, suffering, and invisible to most.

He started walking the streets, this time not just observing but wanting to do something. He spoke to friends and shared what he saw. What started as quiet conversations turned into a shared purpose: to reach out to the mentally unwell, the homeless, and the abandoned and offer them food, clean clothes, a gentle word, and, if possible, a way back home.

This desire to act grew stronger with every encounter. And soon, a small group of friends decided to turn their concern into something concrete. They began going out together, carrying simple care packages — food, soap, blankets. Slowly, they built trust with the people they met.

From those first acts of kindness, Kashmir Youth Courage (KYC) was born. With a dedicated team of 21 active members at its core, the initiative has already helped more than 45 individuals across Kashmir — some reunited with their families, others given shelter and care after years of neglect.

From late-night walks to a movement of 600 hearts

What began as an informal........

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