Srinagar, Aug. 12 -- In my teenage years, the Dal Lake Boulevard was my escape. Evenings meant a ride with friends, ending with sizzling tujj, fluffy chatnis, or a fragrant plate of biryani. Food was joy, and I never questioned what was on my plate.

That changed one morning when I couldn't get out of bed. My joints burned, and after three days of rest, the pain only worsened. A uric acid test-done at home for a staggering Rs. 1,200-confirmed dangerously high levels.

The medicine I took brought no relief. I remembered buying the same drug outside Kashmir once-it had worked in days. This time, nothing changed. When I mentioned it to the pharmacist, he blamed the weather. But the thought gnawed at me: was the medicine counterfeit? Perhaps ...