Srinagar, April 22 -- ByMohammad Ilyas Bhat

A few years ago, I travelled with a friend from Kashmir and his son, who had just finished his matriculation exams.

The boy sat silently in the back seat while the adults discussed his future with the seriousness usually reserved for state policy.

I offered the standard advice that educated adults pass down like family heirlooms:aim high, score above 90%, secure your future.

Before the boy could absorb the burden hidden inside those words, his father interrupted with a laugh. "We only need pass marks," he said. "Where will we keep so many marks?"

Everyone laughed, I did too.

Years later, that sentence still resonates because it contained more wisdom than many education conferences and poli...