Digital Afterlife

Traditional gatherings once shaped the memory of the dead in Kashmir. Today, social media profiles carry the weight of a life. The shift raises questions about dignity, memory, and the role of technology in mourning.

- Umair Ashraf

Every family gathering in Kashmir has a way of remembering the dead.

Stories are told, prayers are recited, and tears are shared. The memories swirl in the room, handed down like precious heirlooms from one generation to the next.

A neighbour recalls how the departed helped rebuild a home after a flood. A cousin speaks of their kindness, resilience.

These collective acts of remembrance built a picture of who the person was, full of warmth, respect, and often a touch of humour. The stories were chosen carefully, remembered lovingly.

That tradition now faces a new reality.

Death in Kashmir arrives not only with grief but with the glow of a screen. People who once relied solely on stories now scroll through Facebook posts, Instagram pictures, and online comments.

Every like, status update, and hastily written thought becomes a permanent trace. Social media profiles turn into digital memorials, preserved forever in timelines and archives.