Poetry, Kahwa, and Connection

From rooftop poetry readings to shared meals, Kashmiri youth are finding new ways to connect beyond screens and social media.

- Shereen Naman

Mohsin, 28, often walks through Lal Chowk, Srinagar's buzzing heart, where the air hums with chatter and traffic. He works at a tech startup, surrounded by people and urban energy.

But when dusk falls over his hometown, he returns to his small apartment in Rajbagh feeling an emptiness no Instagram reel can fill.

"It's like I'm invisible in a crowd," he says, watching the water ripple under the evening sky.

That sense of loneliness runs deep in Kashmir, where decades of discord has strained social sense and sensibility.

Cities across India face the same problem. A 2023 survey found 40 percent of urban Indians report feeling lonely. In the valley, the numbers are sharper: studies show 45 percent of adolescents experience moderate loneliness, often linked to low self-esteem and depression, all tied to the region's turbulent timeline.

The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India adds that 20.5 percent of adults over 45 feel moderately lonely, and 13.3 percent experience severe loneliness, higher in disturbed areas where mistrust scatter families.