Srinagar, Aug. 31 -- I am forever indebted to my mother!

There are phrases that seem simple at first glance, yet carry within them entire worlds of meaning. One such phrase in Kashmiri is "Myeh chih chaeni lach baed ehssaan moujii" - "I am forever indebted to my mother." It is a statement of gratitude, but more than that, it is a testimony of life itself. For me, this phrase is not abstract; it is lived truth. Every breath of mine carries the fragrance of my mother's sacrifices, and every silence within me echoes with her absence.

When I was only eight, life struck me with its first and perhaps greatest tragedy, the loss of my father to a brain tumor. At an age when most children are shielded by both parents, I found myself under the so...