That Day in Gagangeer

We were newly married, full of stories and songs. That day in Gagangeer became our own small forever.

- Syed Majid Gilani

It was the first March after our wedding. Zarah and I had been married for six months. The world felt a little different already, as if colours had grown warmer and time had slowed down, just enough for us to notice the shape of our days.

One morning, we decided to drive up towards Sonmarg. It wasn't planned. We just wanted to go somewhere, anywhere.

I didn’t know then that the road beyond Gagangeer usually stays closed till late April. These days, the Z-Morh tunnel keeps it open all year, but back then we were driving on hope and sunshine.

I took out my white Maruti 800 car. I had never done this before. In fact, I had never been on a real outing that wasn’t about school, exams, family errands, or some distant relative’s ceremony. But that day, with Zarah next to me, the air felt easier to breathe.