Srinagar, Aug. 22 -- By Syed Majid Gilani

Somewhere in my childhood, a red Atlas bicycle became my first lesson in what Kashmir could give a child.

It gave me movement, responsibility and a sense of freedom.

Looking back, I also see something larger in that bicycle: a vanished version of Lalbazar, where orchard land remained open, traffic stayed sparse and children could ride through the streets without the city pressing in on them.

I was in the sixth standard when I began asking for a proper bicycle. My father had already bought me small tricycles and bicycles, and I had spent countless hours riding them. The next step seemed obvious to me.

I wanted a big bicycle, even though I had yet to learn how to balance one or set it moving. ...