In the Company of Friends

Kashmir gave me more than roots. It gave me a brotherhood that walked with me across every milestone.

- Dr. Sajad Hussain Deen

As a child, before I could answer what I wanted to become, I discovered something even more precious: the joy of true companionship. That discovery began in a school corridor in Kashmir, with a boy named Altaf.

Altaf was everything I wasn't.

He had charm, confidence, and a way of talking to people that made them listen. I, on the other hand, preferred to observe from the corners.

He once led a group trip to his maternal home in Ganderbal. That place was like him: lush, alive, full of surprise. It's where I learned that friendship doesn't need similarity, just trust.