Srinagar, Nov. 7 -- Muzamil Manzoor

"All I can see is that you never put your phone on silent mode, my friend," he remarked politely as we sat together at a restaurant on the banks of Dal Lake, engaged in a discussion with a few other friends.

"I used to, but not anymore," I replied calmly, with a faint smile.

"Come on, at least put it on silent during an important session like this," he suggested, glancing discreetly at our other friends, perhaps expecting their agreement.

I smiled but said nothing.

How could I explain to him that there was a time when I had kept my phone on silent, and that decision had cost me something I could never recover?

How could I tell him that sometimes a phone call is not merely a call? Sometimes, it is ...