Fiction: A book of interconnected stories spans the past, present and future in Kashmir

Children, who had created a makeshift cricket pitch, were rushing towards a pile of clothes, mostly pherans, which they had taken off and collected to serve as wickets. Some put them on, and some ran off clutching them in their hands. The scene reminded Gul of the days they too used to play cricket in their neighbourhood. All the family would join in; the elders and their neighbours would also participate.

“Those were the golden years. Why did we grow up?” Gul sighed.

“It was the best,” Ram responded. His mind too had wandered into his childhood. “The more you know, the more you grow. The more you grow, the more quickly you begin to lose it. The taste of happiness.”

That’s right,’ Gul said, lingering over the words. “The taste of happiness.”

They continued walking, engrossed in their conversation, oblivious to their surroundings.

“Have you ever thought about what you will do?” Gul asked.

“About what?” Ram asked.

“Getting a job?”

“It’s not easy to get a government job, Gul. It’s not at all easy. I had no idea it would be so difficult.”

“Yes but, Ram, don’t you want to start the next stage? Of life? We will be able to just as soon as we get a job.”

“What? Do you mean...

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