A Wedding Without Water

Four days without water in Srinagar turned my celebration into crisis. Officials promise teams and tankers, my home needs a running tap, and dignity restored.

- Sheikh Arsh

I wake before dawn and listen for the first hiss from the kitchen tap. Nothing comes.

The house is full of relatives, yet all I hear is the drag of buckets against the floor.

Four days have passed since water left our lane in Chanpora area of Srinagar. My wedding is days away, yet every plan is reduced to a desperate search for drops.

A bride's home in Kashmir is meant to overflow with abundance. Trays of sweets, steaming samovars of kahwa, copper pots of rice washed till it glistens. Every ritual, from ablution before prayer to the henna on my hands, needs water.

Now, our rituals stand still.

My mother rations each bucket as if it were treasure: One for the kitchen, one for the bathroom, and one hidden away for my grandmother, who cannot do without her evening wash.

Relatives arrive, but instead of warmth we offer apologies. Clothes meant for ceremonies lie unwashed. Dishes pile up. Guests whisper about the discomfort. Instead of joy, I feel humiliation.