Srinagar, Aug. 13 -- In the heart of Kashmir's apple orchards and sleepy villages, childhood once unfolded gently with the rustle of chinar leaves, the echo of children's laughter on dusty lanes, and the soothing aroma of kahwa simmering in clay cups. Life moved with the seasons, and childhood was shaped by simple joys: a game of gully cricket near the canal, stories told by grandmothers beside the hearth, the distant melody of the rabab floating through the evening air.

Our grandparents would sit with us in the fading light, telling tales like Shale Kaaken Daleel stories woven with lessons of wisdom, courage, and kindness that shaped our values and gave us a sense of identity. Once, children spent much of their childhood in their matern...