Poignant Memoirs of an Indian

Poignant Memoirs of an Indian

Pain and sorrow descended on Kashmir valley.

Heavy tears of separation flowed incessantly.

An outcome of a precipitous partition,

fueled by a bitter Hindu-Muslim polarization.

Begum Jaan parted from her only child.

Her tears had probably frozen.

Like a stone statue, she stood by the border,

in deep solicitude for her lost daughter.

Skirmishes and wars prolonged her wait.

Not less than four decades later, she met her at last.

She had lived imagining how her child’s voice would change over time.

She heard her familiar voice and finally touched her.

Her daughter cried with mixed emotions.

She wanted to see her like she had left her as a child.

Years of endless wait had made her weak and frail.

She stood there, unable to see her daughter.

Tears of anxiousness and longing,

had perhaps drained her eyes of all the visible light.

That night, she slept holding her hand,

refusing to wake up the day after.