Srinagar, June 14 -- By Syed Majid Gilani

A few days ago, a dear friend, Azhar Abbas, walked into my office and asked a question that followed me home.

"Majid," he said, "you write about pain, loss, separation and the struggles of ordinary people. Why have you never written about Karbala? It is one of the greatest tragedies in human history."

His question caught me off guard. I stopped, searched for an answer and finally smiled.

"It is not that I do not want to write about Karbala," I told him. "Every time I try, my pen stops."

The answer sounded simple, but the truth behind it was much deeper.

Whenever I think about Karbala, my thoughts return to childhood. They return to my grandfather, whom we called Abaji, and to the Muharram ga...