Into The Heart Of Kashmir: Heaven

The Beauty Of Freedom

Prologue

'We can't be together Javed, We've been through so much already, Don't let it go too far, Enough damage has been done already .... '
Sound of approaching footsteps which suddenly stop,the silence is broken by the sound of a huge explosion
'I told you to leave Javed, I don't want to see you Ever Again. Everything's over. Goodbye Mr.Javed Sheikh.'

And this was the last time they spoke, because what happened afterwards shattered them completely, turned their lives upside down and Kashmir changed, Things got worse only to be followed by more deaths and violence and The Valley Burned .

The Beauty Of Freedom
I woke up to the sound of 'azaan' that's how I would wake up everyday. I woke up and took a stroll in the balcony adjacent to my room. It was dark outside but that is what I loved about this time. I knew my friend, Fatima would be praying at this moment which many people were accustomed to doing. 'Salat-al fajr' as they called it, was one of the five Namaz, Muslims are required to do. 'Salat' basically means prayer, so they would get up every morning for Salat. Fatima was the only friend I had in college while she had many friends, we were completely different in matters of our nature but we bonded really well since we had known each other since childhood .We lived in a Muslim populated locality in Pulwama, Kashmir. Even though we weren't Muslims , I liked to wake up at this point of time since I loved silence. At this point of time during the day, everything was serene, peaceful . I opened the doors to my balcony, and as the door unbolted,fresh cold air hit my face and this was the only thing which made me realise I was still alive . I took out my diary and sat on the cane chairs kept in my balcony . As soon as I opened my diary, words began to flow and I kept writing, adhering to emotions I wanted to express, which I had buried for reasons too strange to understand. I wrote about how satisfying the blowing wind feels,.. 'Oh How I wish I could be this wind to travel Kashmir right now and to see how beautiful it is, to admire its beauty...' If you have ever felt so close to nature, you would understand what this wind means to a chained soul who aspires nothing but freedom.
'...I am jealous how freely you can travel across the valley and even beyond the borders without having to worry about the chains that await to confine you and clip you off your freedom ..' I couldn't write more, as I didn't want to start my day with this sadness which is in reality imbibed in me since a long time and awaits independence from shackles of distress. Finishing writing, I straightened my peach colored Kurta which had been paired with palazzos and a shawl, which I had draped to avoid catching the ill effects that this cold air brings with it. I have always liked dressing up, thanks to my mother who instilled this in me as a value crucial to the existence of a girl. I really do wonder sometimes why is it important for a girl to be dressed up always, I mean who is going to come to check on me during the time of Azaan, but that would be against the 'The Code Of Living For Girls' drafted by my mom.
Closing the diary I went inside and took out my favorite book, The Alchemist , and began reading it.

Hey everyone , This is my first book on wattpad, I hope you guys will like it. In case you like any part or feel that something should be a bit different, do provide me feedback. You never know how much you will be boosting someone's confidence by doing this.
For all those who do not know about Kashmir, It is a beautiful part of India and just try visiting it(virtually if that's feasible for you 😀😊) but it really is akin to heaven.
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Apart from this, all the best to all of you for everything that you are working towards, may you succeed in your endeavors . Stay happy always .