Srinagar, July 15 -- By Prof. M. Aslam

I still remember the sound of his voice on the rotary dial phone in 1988, saying yes before I had finished my question.

I had just returned to Kashmir from CIRDAP, newly appointed as Joint Director at IMPA, unsure whether anyone in the political establishment would even return my calls as the situation in the valley rapidly deteriorated.

Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal did more than return my calls. He showed up in person, with courage, compassion and conviction.

Any programme the institute ran, any moment we needed encouragement or a blessing from the political leadership, he was there before I had to ask twice.

That first impression never wore off over the decades that followed, and it is the one I k...